Wait For You
by 7exie 4nne
Summary: Kourtney Hunt gets left behind in La Push when her best friend and boyfriend leave for school. Fortunately she is in good company with Paul Lahote who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend and her boyfriend's best friend. While Kourtney deals with relationship problems, Paul has to deal with a life changing secret that threatens to change everything between them.
1. Chapter 1

**Wait for You - Chapter One**

Paul welcomed the ocean breeze as he stepped out of the beach house. The sounds of his friends' yelling and cheering faded as he made his way towards the beach. The full moon reflected beautifully on the calm, ocean waters. He had been itching to get away for a chance to get some peace and quiet, and mostly to sulk at that thought of his best friend leaving him behind to go off to college.

He cursed himself for getting held back. All the ditched classes, flunked quizzes, and half-assed homework assignments really did him in Finding out that he wasn't going to graduate and had to repeat his senior year was not the way Paul wanted to start off his summer break. Instead of packing and getting ready to leave for college like his friends, he was doomed for another year in high school.

Paul's mood dampened even further. Another year of being stuck in La Push Reservation while his best friend went off to college in Los Angeles. It didn't help that his girlfriend had already left earlier that summer to spend her senior year in a fashion school in New York. It sucked and he hated it, though he never let anyone know; he didn't want to drag anyone down with him.

He picked up a rock and chucked it into the ocean. The more he thought about his upcoming senior year, the more frustrated and angry he became. He continued to pick up rock after rock, throwing them into the ocean.

"Easy on that arm, quarterback," he heard a voice say. He turned to where the voice came from and saw Kourtney sitting on a log. He threw the last rock in his hand and made his way toward her. If anyone could understand what he was feeling, it would be her. After all, she was going through something similar. Her boyfriend was the one who was leaving the next day and her best friend already left.

"Hey," he said when he was close enough for her to hear.

"Hey yourself," was her reply. She gave him a sad smile.

"What are you doing out here?" He took a seat next to her.

"I don't know. Thinking. How about you?"

"Same," Paul said.

"Is it safe to say we're thinking the same thing?"

"Possibly." Paul mimicked Kourtney and gazed out into the ocean. Watching the waves rolling in calmed him.

"I'm gonna miss him," her voice cracked at the end and he hoped that she wouldn't start crying. He wasn't the best at comforting people, even with his own girlfriend.

"I know. Me, too." A sniffle was heard.

"He's gonna miss you too, Kourt," Paul added, hoping it would help.

"I know. That's not what I'm worried about."

"Everything will be fine." Paul glanced at Kourtney when she didn't reply. He really wasn't good at consoling. Plus, he had his own problems to worry about. His girlfriend was gone, his best friend would be gone soon, and he was already repeating senior year. Not to mention the rumors around the res being spread about him. He couldn't tack on whatever Kourtney was worrying about. He turned back to the ocean.

"Did you worry about Marianne being in another city? In another state for that matter?"

Paul shook his head.

"You didn't worry at all?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Are you worried about Alex being in another state?"

Kourtney looked down as if she was ashamed. "It's just…we come from a small town, Paul. Los Angeles is a big city."

"Kourt, he's not gonna cheat on you, if that's what you're thinking. He would never do that to you! He loves you!" Paul felt annoyed that she would think badly of his best friend that way. There were many times when Paul teased Alex for being so whipped when it came to Kourtney, yet here she was, doubting Alex's love for her.

"I know, okay?" Kourtney groaned and covered her face. "Sorry. My brother called last night and gave me this whole spiel about long distance relationship and how much it sucks-"

"He told you to break up with Alex, didn't he?"

"His exact words were, 'Do it before he does.'"

Paul scoffed. "You're an idiot if you listen to Cody. Alex loves you, you love him. He trusts you. Do you trust him?"

"Of course."

"There you go. Trust me, Kourt. Alex is crazy for you. He's already thinking long term with you."

"Really?" Paul nodded. "Do you think that way about Marianne?"

Paul mentally slapped himself. He should've known Kourtney would try to sneak a question in about Marianne. He had no doubt that Kourtney would report his answer back to Marianne, so he made sure to choose his words carefully.

"She knows I'm not like that Kourt." Kourt looked disappointed in the answer. "I mean, I love her. Do I want a future with her? Yeah. At the same time, I'm not going to say I'm set with her because you never know what could happen."

"Okay, first of all, that was just a horrible answer. You might as well just saw no. And second, you just kind of proved my point that anything could happen in L.A. with Alex."

Paul remained silent when he realized that she was right. "Alex is not like me," he finally said. "You two will make it. As for me, I know better. I know that life doesn't always revolve around the person you love."

"Wise words from Paul Lahote. I should get that tattooed on me," Kourtney joked.

"As long as you give me credit. You'll have my name tattooed on you before Alex's."

"And just like that, I change my mind!"

The sound of people talking ended their friendly banter. Paul looked back and saw that the party had moved from the beach house and out onto the beach.

"I'm guessing the fireworks are about to start," Kourtney said getting up. She dusted off the sand on her jeans.

"Kourtney! Babe! Where are you?" a voice called out. Paul laughed at the sound of his friend. The slurring of words was not hard to miss.

"It's Alex," Kourtney said.

"Yeah, he sounds drunk," Paul added, standing up as well. Kourtney rolled his eyes. "Time to get him home."

"So much for the fireworks," Kourtney muttered. "I hope he has the worst hangover for his flight tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

River's Edge Restaurant was busy with the typical lunch crowd it drew during the summer. During any other season, the restaurant would only attract a handful of customers. During the summer, the restaurant saw a higher volume of patrons, most of them from visitors who were just passing through and needed a place to stop by and eat.

The small make shift lobby area of the restaurant was packed with customers waiting for a table. Kourtney pushed through the crowd, mumbling 'excuse me's' and apologizing.

"Hey, Kourtney," Myra greeted. "Paul's at the usual table."

Kourtney thanked her and proceeding to walk through the restaurant. She turned left and headed further to the back. The usual table was the table that was reserved for the employees and their family members. Paul's dad was a fisherman who fished for the restaurant. When he had nothing else to do, Paul helped his dad out.

Kourtney spotted Paul, his Mohawk not easy to miss. He was busy eating to notice her walking towards him. Her stomach rumbled, reprimanding her for skipping breakfast. She sighed as she took a seat across from him.

"Who said you can sit here?" Paul said, glaring at her.

"Hi to you, too, jerk." Paul smiled and Kourtney rolled her eyes again. Paul was a jerk when he wanted to be, but he also could be the nicest guy in the world. It all depended on who it was and how close he was with them. Kourtney learned this about him a couple weeks after meeting him.

They first met at the beginning of her sophomore year and his junior year. She joined the cheerleading squad at the insistence of her best friend who ended up ditching her during hell week. To be fair, it was a family emergency, but Kourtney still hated being the newbie all by herself.

The football team and the cheerleaders had to share the field, so Kourtney was able to formally meet all of the football players. Paul was the one who came up to her and introduced himself. She was unsure of him at first. She heard rumors about him, just like she heard rumors about all the other players and cheerleaders, but her first impression seemed to go against what she heard. It wasn't until she met Alex, Paul's best friend, and started dating him to see how the rumors about Paul came to be. After being friends for almost two years, Kourtney was used to Paul's personality and his teasing. How he and her best friend Marianne connected, she would never know. All she knew was that they worked.

"Thanks for ordering without me," Kourtney told him.

"I was hungry! I've been out since in four in the morning!"

"I'm hungry too!" Kourtney cried looking around for a waiter she could flag down. Paul let out an ear splitting whistle. Several customers turned to glare at him. Paul was unfazed.

"Matty!" Paul cried. "Kourt wants to order!"

"Paul!" Kourtney cried. "I can wait."

"You said you were hungry. Just trying to help you out."

Kourtney opened her mouth to reply when Matt showed up, looking annoyed.

"I will punch your face in if you ever whistle like that again," Matt threatened.

"Punch him for me, too," Kourtney told him. Paul smirked before going back to his lunch. Matt shook his head and then turned to Kourtney, giving her a warm smile.

"What can I get you, Kourt?"

"I'll just have the grilled cheese and a water please." She gave Matt a smile as he told her that he'd have her order up as soon as possible. She glanced at Paul who already finished his food. He sat across from her, his arms outstretched on top of the booth back. "Jeez, did you not eat at all today?"

"Nope!" He reached for his drink and sipped up every last drop.

"Are you done for the day?" Kourtney asked, taking out her cellphone from her purse.

"Maybe. My dad was talking about going back out again. We'll see. What are you doing today?"

"Probably just get started on some of Mr. Nova's summer assignments."

"You're such a nerd," Paul laughed.

"Anyways," Kourtney said. She placed her cellphone on the table. She leaned forward, her eyes lingering on her phone's screen. "Have you heard from Alex recently?"

Paul shook his head before rubbing it. He should've known something was up when Kourtney wanted to have lunch.

"I haven't heard from him much this past week. He hasn't answered any of calls or even returned them. He hasn't even sent me any texts aside from telling me that he was busy or that he'd call me as soon as he can."

"Those don't count?"

"No, those don't count! I want to talk to him Paul. I miss him!"

"Look, he's probably enjoying his summer! He starts college soon! You know him, he's as into school as you are. He's probably gonna be going nerd status once school starts, so he's living up his vacation." Kourtney didn't seem to like what she was hearing. "If it makes you feel better, I haven't heard much from Marianne either, but I'm not sweating it. I know she's busy busting her ass over there."

"That's true. Her school seems intense over there," Kourtney shuddered. "But she seems to be enjoying it." Marianne, her best friend, was fortunate to get accepted into a fashion school in New York. She didn't waste a second to accept it. That was the difference between them, Marianne jumped quickly at opportunities while Kourtney needed time to think them through. Before she knew it, Marianne was on a plane to New York after accepting the school's offer a week prior. It was a whirlwind of helping her best friend pack while trying to pack as much summer activities as possible before her departure. Of course, Kourtney had to share her time with Marianne with Paul, but she didn't complain. Paul seemed to take Marianne's decision well. Although she would be gone for the entire school year, he knew that she'd be back and that it wasn't a total goodbye.

Matt came and set Kourtney's order in front of her. Paul reached for a fry and she swatted his hand away.

"Can you get me another order of fries?" Paul asked. "And a shake, too?"

Matt nodded.

"So how often do you speak to Marianne?"

"Whenever she calls."

"You don't call her?" Kourtney asked.

"Like I said, she's busy. Whenever I would call her, I'd always catch her at a bad time, so now I just wait for her to call when she's free."

"Wow, I could never do that."

"Because you're needy." He ignored the look she gave him and continued on, "You need to give Alex some space to just enjoy himself. I mean it's L.A., he's probably at the beach. Checking out some hot girls in those tiny bikinis." He dodged a fry that Kourtney threw. "Kidding! Stop sweating it. He'll call! If he doesn't by the end of this week, I'll pass on the message."

Kourtney smiled. "Thank you!" Paul nodded. "How was it out there this morning?"

"Good. Any day with any kind of catch is always good. Otherwise I'd be piss for wasting hours out on sea for nothing."

"What else have you been up to? Besides working?"

"Not a damn thing! Which is why I can't wait until hell week! Everyone else would be back from vacation by then and it's something else to do."

Kourtney groaned. While Paul was excited for hell week, she dreaded it.

"Leslie is our captain this year. She's gonna drive us to the ground. She already wants to start practicing before hell week. She said it would be a warm to hell week!"

"Aww," Paul said, pouting out his lips. "It's cute how you think cheerleading is worse than football."

"Here are your fries and your shake to go. And your check."

"Slow down, man. Kourt's not even finished yet."

"Place is getting packed Lahote," Matt told him. "We need more tables."

"It's fine. Can you box mine up please?" Matt took her plate away. Paul pulled out his wallet and placed two twenties on the table.

"Your treat next time," Paul said.

"Sure," she replied with a smile. Even though he always said it, he never made her pay.

"You heading home?" Paul asked.

"No, I'm going to the school library and to get started on the summer assignments, remember?"

"Nerd," he muttered.

"At least I didn't flunk my senior year," she said, crossing her arms.

"Damn, low blow," Paul said, placing his hand over his chest.

"It's your own damn fault."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I've heard that from everyone. Need me to wait for you?"

"No, go ahead. I'll be fine," Kourtney said waving him away. "Thanks for lunch!"

"No prob. Remember, just give Alex his space. He'll call soon!"

Kourtney nodded and gave him a wave. She watched as Paul made his way through the restaurant and towards the lobby. She grabbed her cellphone. Still no messages. No missed calls. She scrolled through her texts. She last text Alex two hours ago, prior to meeting with Paul.

 _ **Just got done having lunch with Paul. I'll be at the library doing some work. Just call me when you can. I love you.**_

Kourtney sighed as she clicked send. ' _Okay, now I'll refrain from texting or calling him_.'

"Here, Kourt."

"Thanks Matt." Kourt grabbed her left overs and headed out the restaurant. She got in the car even though the school was only a block away. She reluctantly turned off her phone and headed into the school library.

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Kourtney spent the majority of her day at the library. She was already behind on the summer assignments. Mr. Nova the AP English teacher passed out the assignment list at the last day of school and she only looked at it a month later.

She looked up at clock and saw that it was nearing five. Ms. Linder was nice enough to stay an extra hour for her, but Kourtney didn't want to hold her up for longer. She put her notebook and the five books she checked out into her tote.

"Bye, Ms. Linder. Thanks for letting me stay a little longer."

"No problem sweetie!"

Once she got to her car, she threw her tote on the passenger's seat. The drive home took her ten minutes. The smell of lasagna hit her nose as she pulled up in front of her house.

"Hey, Kourtney!" She smiled at her next door neighbor, Quil.

"How's it going?" she asked as she made her way up the pathway to her house.

"Good. Heard from Alex yet?"

"Nope, not yet." She gave him a final wave before disappearing into her house.

"Kourtney, dinner's about ready!" Her mother called from the kitchen.

"I know! It smells so good, Mom! Give me ten minutes, okay? I just want to take a quick shower."

"Ten minutes!" Her mom repeated.

Kourtney hurried up the stairs and to her room. She emptied her tote and placed her books on her nightstand. She reached for her phone and remembered that she had switched it off. She quickly turned it on and connected it to her charger. She walking into the adjoined bathroom. She began to undress when she heard a series of beeps and sounds. Kourtney ran back into her room and threw herself on the bed. She grabbed her phone and watched as text messages started coming through. She opened her text message folder and saw that she had five texts from Alex. She squealed in delight.

 _ **Hi babe.**_

 _ **Sorry I missed your call. My phone died and I lost my charger.**_

 _ **I miss you so much, you have no idea.**_

 _ **I wish you were here. Can't wait until you're here with me.**_

 _ **Call me when you can, babe. I love you. So much.**_

Kourtney felt her heart skip a beat and butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Kourtney!" She heard her mother call. "We're waiting on you!"

"I'm coming!" Kourtney typed a quick reply.

 _ **Hi baby. Just got your messages. Parents are waiting on me for dinner. I'll call you when I'm done. I miss you too.**_

It took Kourtney only ten minutes to finish her dinner since she was still full. It was a good thing she snuck her sandwich into the library earlier. After helping her mom with the dishes, she headed back up to the room.

She took her cell phone and saw that she had another message. It was from Paul.

 _ **Youre welcome**_

She chuckled to herself. Yes, Paul could be a nice guy when he wasn't being a jerk.

 _ **Thanks! I owe you!**_

After sending the message, she dialed Alex's number.

" _Hey, babe_ ," he answered. Kourtney felt relief hearing his voice again. Three hours and a dozen more "I miss you's" later, Kourtney heard Alex try to stifle a yawn.

" _I'm sorry babe, but I'm beat."_

"It's okay. I'm just glad I got to hear your voice again."

" _I'll try and be better about the calls. I promise. I love you."_

"I love you, too." Kourtney stared at her cellphone's screen as Alex hung up. A minute later, the screen dimmed. She sighed. It had only been two weeks since he left. She questioned how she would get through their new long distance relationship. She lingered on this thought until she felt her eyelids get heavy.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright ladies! Let's try that cheer one more time! We are gonna keep doing it until I am 110% satisfied that we are all in synch!" Groans were heard throughout the group of cheerleaders. "Let's go! Don't make me make you run the mile again!"

Kourtney got into her position. It was the first day of cheerleading practice. Well, it was an unofficial practice. Some of the members were still gone for vacation, but the new captain, Leslie, wanted those who were available to start conditioning before the official practices. They began the practice with a warm then followed it up with a mile run. They were allowed a ten minute break before they did stretches then spent the next hour learning a new cheer routine.

"Five, six! Five, six, seven, eight!"

"Attack!" someone yelled.

Kourtney looked to the side of the field where the scream came from. A group of guys were running towards them, big water guns in most of their hands. The ones who held no water gun were carrying plastic buckets. Kourtney realized that they guys advancing towards them were the football players. She also realized that the plastic buckets they carried held water balloons.

Kourtney heard a couple of the girls start to scream. Kourtney also let out a scream when something hit her and her shirt became soaked. Soon chaos ensued and everyone began to run around. She heard Leslie trying to get ahold of the situation. Kourtney tried to run away from the group, but a football player stopped in front of her and squirted her with a water gun. It took her a second to get over the cold water. She grabbed for the water gun. The guy pulled on it and she took a couple of steps forward.

"Give me that!" she cried.

"Help!" the guy yelled.

Suddenly, Kourtney felt someone come up from behind her and pinned her arms down. She let go of the water gun in surprise.

"Get her again!" she heard Paul's voice say.

"Paul!" Kourtney struggled against him and they fell to the ground.

"Let go, you jerk!" Paul only laughed in reply.

"Oh! What the fuck!" Paul let go of Kourtney as two cheerleaders made their way towards him. The cheerleaders were able to steal a bucket of water balloons for themselves. Kourtney smiled and joined the two in attacking Paul with water balloons.

"Retreat!" Paul yelled.

The football players began whooping and yelling as they began to run towards the parking lot of the field. Kourtney and a few of the cheerleaders continued to chase them down with the water balloons. Even after they piled into the back of Paul's truck, they continued to pelt them with water balloons.

"We're gonna get you back, Lahote!" Moni called.

"Stupid football players!" yelled Leslie.

Even though she was soaked, Kourtney couldn't help but laugh along with some of the cheerleaders.

"Go home ladies! We're done for today! Practice again tomorrow!"

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 _ **P: How was practice today**_

Kourtney rolled her eyes after reading Paul's text.

 _ **K: Good. Thanks to you, practice ended early. :P**_

 _ **P: Youre welcome then**_

 _ **K: Just wait until we get you guys back. :)**_

 _ **P: Well be ready**_

Kourtney smiled. She and the other cheerleaders were already thinking of ways to get back at the football players. She began to type a reply when Alex's number popped up. Her smile got bigger.

Over the last couple of weeks it became a habit for them to talk on the phone before going to bed. Alex did promise her to call more and he kept up on that promise.

"Hi baby," she answered.

 _"Hey babe. How was practice?"_ Kourtney began to recount the eventful unofficial practice that she had. _"I saw the video."_

"What video?"

 _"Nate taped the whole thing. He put it up on his Youtube channel,"_ Alex explained.

"I'm gonna have to see that."

 _"Yeah, you and Paul were at the end."_

"I almost had that one guy, but Paul had to interrupt!" Kourtney groaned. Alex gave a chuckle.

 _"So what are your plans for revenge?"_

"You really expect me to tell you?"

 _"Why not?"_

"Because you'd just tell Paul," Kourtney replied.

 _"No, I wouldn't!"_

"Forgive me, if I don't believe you." Alex laughed. Kourtney's cheeks began to hurt from all the smiling. She laid on her bed and closed her eyes. Alex began talking about his day. "If I stop talking, it's because I fell asleep," she told him.

 _"Bored of me already?"_

"I can never get bored of you. I'm just tired."

 _"Alright then, babe. I'll just-"_

"No! Stay on the phone."

 _"Until you fall asleep?"_ he asked, sounding amused.

"Mmhmm," Kourtney said sleepily.

 _"Ah, just like when we first started dating."_ Kourtney laughed.

"I love you," she murmured before she gave into sleep.

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Kourtney crouched behind the black pick-up truck. She looked behind her at Christy who gave her a small nod. She looked towards the car parked in front of the truck. Leslie and Moni nodded at her. Kourtney took a deep breath and hit the side of Paul's car. Instantaneously, his car alarm sounded, echoing throughout the neighborhood. Kourtney heard the door open.

"Who the fuck hit my car?" Paul cried out.

"I don't see anyone," she heard Brian's voice.

"What's going on?"

Kourtney could hear the other football players coming around the side of the house from the backyard. She looked at Leslie who began to count with her fingers. Once she got to three, all the cheerleaders popped up from their hiding spots. Kourtney was the first to launch the pudding filled balloon. To her surprise, it hit Paul right in the chest and exploded, covering him and the two guys beside him with chocolate pudding. Soon, more balloons flew through the air and the football players began scrambling around.

"Hunt!" Kourtney heard Paul yell.

"Shit!" Kourtney ran from her spot as she saw Paul running towards her.

"Get her Paul!" She heard someone cry.

"Christy! Help!" Kourtney cried as she felt someone grab her. She knew it was Paul.

"You said you guys weren't planning anything! You fucking liar!" Kourtney laughed as Paul hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Christy! Moni!" Kourtney cried in between laughs. She felt something wet hit her face. She realized it was chocolate pudding. She looked and saw that Moni had tried bombarding Paul with pudding balloons, but she too was now hoisted on the shoulder of Brian.

"Put me down!" Kourtney tried to squirm but Paul held onto her tightly. He stopped walking then he swung her down so that he was carrying her like a baby.

"No!" Kourtney cried as she realized he was stopped in front of Brian's pool. She heard a splash and heard Moni cursing from the pool.

"Paul! Don't-"

Next thing she knew, Kourtney was airborne and fell with a big splash into the pool. When she surfaced, Christy was flying in next to her. She saw Leslie sneak up behind Brian and push him in too. Pretty soon almost everyone was in the pool, splashing and trying to dunk one another.

"Say hi, guys!" Nate called as he held his camera, trying to film everyone.

He was clean of any pudding or wet spots. It was an unspoken agreement that the camera guy would be left alone. After a few minutes, Kourtney could feel her teeth began to chatter. She swam over to the side. She saw a hand reach down for her and looked up to see Paul.

"No funny business, Hunt. I'm calling a truce." She smiled and took his hand.

"Paul Lahote! Mr. Quarterback!" Nate called as he approached the two. Paul saluted to the camera. "And beside him we have Ms. Kourtney Hunt!"

Kourtney waved at the camera then gave a wink. She quickly pushed Paul towards the pool. Paul flung his arms as if it would help keep him from falling. In the last second, he grabbed Kourtney towards him and she found herself falling into the pool again.

"Damn it, Lahote!" Kourtney cried once she was above water again. Paul replied by splashing her. She laughed as she splashed him back.

"I'm freezing!" Moni cried. Everyone began to agree and they all made their way out the pool.

"Told you, we'd be ready!" Paul said. Kourtney rolled her eyes. "See ya, girls!"

The cheerleaders said their goodbyes before they all went their separate ways to go home.

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A week later, the seniors of La Push High School all met at First Beach. It was their End of Summer Celebration even though they still had two weeks of vacation left. In a couple of days, the football players and cheerleaders were going to be busy with their hell week. The other fall sports would also begin their conditioning.

Kourtney was sitting with her friends when Brian joined their circle.

"What's wrong with you?" Moni asked.

"Fucking Lahote. He's such an asshole. Just cause he's having a bad day, doesn't mean he has to drag us down with him."

Kourtney looked to where Paul was. He did look a bit annoyed. Kourtney got up and walked to him.

"Hey, you," she said.

"Hey," he replied with no enthusiasm. There was no teasing or name calling either.

"Wanna walk?" Paul didn't answer, but he began to walk alongside Kourtney.

"What's going on?"

"What?" He asked. He was looking down, his hands in his pockets.

"You just seem…"

"I'm fine."

"Brian said you weren't having a good day today." Paul remained silent. Kourtney noticed him clenching his jaw. She decided to change the subject. "So, I spoke to Marianne. She kept going on and on about her new internship. She said there's a chance she'll be helping with Fashion Week! Can you believe that? That's like the big thing!"

"Yeah, I know. I heard all of this from her, I don't need to hear it from you, too." Paul picked up a rock and chucked it in the ocean. Kourtney stopped walking.

"Okay, so tell me what's wrong."

"I said nothing, Kourt!"

"Paul-"

"Stop! Alright? Don't piss me off right now." With that Paul began to jog back to their class's spot. Kourtney sighed. She made her way back to her friends.

"Is he alright?" Christy asked. Kourtney shrugged.

"Wouldn't tell me. Damn near bit my head off for asking."

"He's probably missing Marianne, if you know what I mean," Moni said, wriggling her eyebrows. All the girls, save for Kourtney, laughed.

"Kourtney wouldn't," Kayla said. The girls laughed again. "Unless…" Kayla gave her a pointed look.

"Unless what?" Kourtney asked.

"Did you and Alex…" Kourtney's eyes widened when she realized what Kayla was getting at.

"No!" She felt her cheeks becoming flush.

"Not even before he left?" Moni asked. "You won't be seeing him for like a year!"

"You guys have been together for almost two years and you still haven't-"

"Guys! Stop! We were talking about Paul and Marianne, not Alex and Kourt," Christy reminded them. Kourtney gave her a smile of appreciation.

"He has got to be getting frustrated without her around," Moni continued.

"I don't mind unfrustrating him for her."

"Kayla!"

"I'm just kidding, Kourtney. I would never do that to Marianne. But Paul's a total hottie though. And he's a guy." Her friends nodded in agreement. "I mean, not that Alex would ever cheat on you," Kayla assured her. "He's a good boyfriend. But Paul…"

"He's Paul," Moni finished simply. Kourtney didn't say anything, but she understood what they were saying. It was all from the rumor mill, but prior to dating Marianne, Paul was thought to have been too flirty for his own good. Kourtney's stomach suddenly felt knotted. Everything her friends were saying began to plant a seed of doubt in Paul for her.

"You girls up for some cliff diving?" Nate asked. Kourtney jumped up immediately, grateful for a change of subject. She looked to her friends.

"I'll pass," Moni said as she laid back down to tan.

"I'll come," Leslie said. "Alright, Ms. Cheerleading Captain!" Nate cried, slapping her a high five.

"Christy, wanna come?" Kourtney asked.

"No, thanks! That's all you, girl! I'm too chickenshit." Kourtney laughed and followed Nate and Leslie to the cliff. A couple of the football players were already there. Kourtney waited for them to jump.

"You go first," Leslie told her. Kourtney approached the edge. She looked down and her heart began to race. The adrenaline was kicking in.

"Any last words, future Mrs. Skye?" Kourtney smiled. She turned to the camera and blew a kiss.

"I love you, Alex!" "Awww!"

"She misses you bro," Nate told the camera. Kourtney counted to three in her head and then jumped. Kourtney felt like her stomach jumped up to her throat as she plummeted down to the water. The cold water rushed all around her. She opened her eyes and began to kick herself towards the surface. She took a big breath as she emerged from the water. She took a second to catch her breath before swimming to the shore. Once she was out of the water, a towel was thrown to her face. She caught it and saw Paul standing a few feet in front of her.

"Thanks!" She began to dry herself. "Oh my God, that's always a rush!" She walked up to Paul, wrapping the towel around her.

"I, uh, I'm sorry about earlier," Paul mumbled.

"It's okay," Kourtney told him. She decided not to pry in fear of him getting angry again. She began to walk back to their spot.

"I don't feel right for her," Paul said. Kourtney wheeled around to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just… She's in New York doing all these amazing things. And I'm here…repeating fucking senior year again!" Paul shrugged and shook his head. Kourtney closed the distance between them and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Paul, you know she doesn't care about that. She doesn't think any differently of you." Paul didn't look convinced. "Trust me, she has never once complained about that. What she does complain about is that wandering eye of yours," Kourtney joked.

Paul gave a small smile. The smile didn't reach his eyes. Kourtney found herself sympathizing with him. She never realized Paul would be bothered by that.

"Maybe, you just need to see her," Kourtney suggested, remembering what her friends were discussing earlier. "You should visit her! Wait for a three day weekend or even wait until winter break. Once you see her again, you'll feel better. You're just missing her."

Paul looked out into the ocean. Kourtney wondered if he even heard her. He slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah, maybe that's it. I just need to see her. Thanks, Kourt!"

"Paul, Kourt! We're taking a group picture!" Paul and Kourtney made their way to their class. Christy pulled Kourtney to her side and Paul positioned himself behind them, along with the taller football players. They all smiled as Nate set his camera on a timer.

"Squeeze in some more!" Nate called before running to join the group. Kourtney moved closer to Christy and she felt the guys behind her move closer, too. She felt an arm drape around her shoulder. "Say cheese!" The class of 2006 all gave their best smiles as the camera flashed.

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"I'm home!" Kourtney called as she entered her house.

"How was the beach? Are you hungry?"

"It was fun. And no. Still full!" Kourtney made her way to her room. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw her phone on her bed. She thought she had lost it. She turned it on and realized that it was off. Assuming that the battery died, she plugged in her cell phone. She went to her bathroom and stripped off her dirty clothes. She took a nice hot shower and settled into a pair of shorts and a shirt.

Kourtney plopped herself onto her bed, her eyes resting on the books on her nightstand. She needed to do schoolwork. School was fast approaching and she still had to read two books and write a book review on them. She sighed as she reached for her phone instead. She turned on her phone. After loading up, her phone gave off a series of beeps. She had six unread messages. Once she opened the folder, she saw that they were all from Alex. She smiled. When she opened the menu for his texts, her smile immediately disappeared.

 _ **A: Hey babe, hows the game?**_

 _ **A: Let me know when youre done**_

 _ **A: Call me**_

 _ **A: Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?**_

 _ **A: We need to talk!**_

 _ **A: Whatever. Don't complain about not hearing from me when you can't even answer your damn phone.**_

Kourtney felt panic set in. Alex was mad. She wasted no time calling him. It rang three times before being sent to voicemail. Her heart began to beat fast, her face feeling flushed. She felt tears begin to come to her eyes. His series of texts concerned, especially the one that stated they needed to talk. Kourtney called him again. This time there was no ringing. The call just went straight to voicemail.

Kourtney closed her eyes, willing her tears not to fall. She took a deep breath. ' _He's mad because he didn't hear from you the whole day,'_ she told herself. ' _Just give him space to cool off and call him again tomorrow._ ' Kourtney opened her eyes again and stared at her phone. Rereading the text messages just made her sick to her stomach. She wondered what they needed to talk about.

 _ **I'm sorry, baby, I forgot my phone. I just got home now. I wasn't trying to ignore you on purpose. I love you. Just call me tomorrow when you're cooled down and ready to talk. I miss you. I love you.**_

Kourtney hit send even though she wanted to type more. Keeping it short and simple might be better for now. She looked at her notebook on her nightstand. She planned on doing a bit more summer school work, but knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She looked back at her phone, seeing if a text message from Alex had come. She debated whether or not to call him again. She decided to give him space like she said. Then she wondered if she should send another text. Again, she rejected that idea. Her fingers were itching to dial Alex's number or to type up another text. Finally, she picked up her phone again.

 _ **Are you free? I think Alex is going to break up with me.**_

She hit send. Within seconds, Marianne's number flashed on her phone.

 _"What's wrong?"_ Marianne asked the second Kourtney picked up. She began to relay the text messages Alex left. She let her tears fall, not feeling ashamed of crying over something she still wasn't sure of. Kourtney felt the anxiety in his chest slowly go away as Marianne talked through all the possible meanings of Alex's texts.

In the end, Marianne assured her that Alex was probably mad at not hearing from her.

 _"Long distance makes people crazy,_ " Marianne joked. Kourtney agreed. After getting off the phone, Kourtney crawled under her sheets. She replayed her conversation with Marianne. She hoped that her best friend was right and that she wouldn't lose the boy she loved.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ever hear a thing called patience?" Kourtney asked as she climbed into Paul's truck.

"Yeah. Never really been my thing," Paul said. "Besides, you were the one who told me you were ready and already waiting."

"I was ready. I was just on the phone with Alex. He says hi by the way." Paul smiled and nodded.

"So you two good now?" Kourtney looked a Paul questioningly. "I called Alex to see if I could borrow some money and he may have mentioned something."

Kourtney shook her head. She didn't know why she was surprised. If Alex didn't mention it, she was sure Marianne would have. "Yeah, we're good. Just a misunderstanding."

"Uh huh?"

"Let's just say he now knows how I felt when I didn't hear from him for three days straight. Except for him, it had only been one day and he was more angry than upset about it."

Paul shook his head in amusement.

"Why do you need to borrow money?" Kourtney asked. "I'm planning on visiting Marianne before school starts." Kourtney squealed caused Paul to cringe. "Scream like that one more time, Hunt," Paul threatened.

"Sorry! I'm just excited for you two!" Kourtney couldn't stop smiling. Everything between her and Alex was okay. Now, Paul and Marianne were going to see each other again. Kourtney was certain it was just what Paul needed to get him out of his slump.

Her mood was quickly dampened as Paul pulled into the parking lot in front of the field. She could see that all of the cheerleaders were present for the first day of hell week. Kourtney got out and grabbed her bag.

"Better hope you girls finish the same time as us or I'm leaving your ass," Paul said as he reached for his own bag and pads in the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kourtney said. She gave him a wave and made her way over to the squad.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

"Take five ladies."

Kourtney took a drink and settled down on the grass. Hell week had flashed right by and they were onto a new week of practice. Her body was sore and aching. She was already thinking about the nice hot bath she would take once she got home. She took another swig from her bottle before putting it back in her bag. She was zipping her bag close when she saw the green light flashing on her phone. Reaching for it, she saw that she had an unread message. Expecting it to be from Alex, she was perplexed when she saw a number she didn't recognize. She opened the message.

 _ **Hi, is this Alex's girlfriend?**_

Kourtney thought the message to be a bit odd. She was debating whether or not to reply when Leslie called for the resuming of practice. Kourtney tossed the phone in her bag.

All while practicing new cheers, Kourtney tried to push the weird message away. The more she thought about it though, the more unsettled she became. It was another hour before they were granted another break. She dashed to her back and took out her phone.

 **K:** _ **Yes, this is. Who is this?**_

Kourtney looked at the phone half expecting the person to reply right away. She must have spent the whole break waiting because Leslie called for them to resume practice again. She was headed to her spot when the display of her phone lit up. The unknown number was calling her.

"Kourt!" Leslie cried when Kourtney started back for her phone.

"Hold on! I gotta take this call!" Leslie gave her a death stare, but Kourtney picked up her phone anyway. "Hello?" she answered uncertainly.

 _"Uh, hi, Alex's girlfriend?"_ came the voice of a girl.

"Who is this?"

 _"You don't know me, but I know your boyfriend."_ Kourtney turned her back to the squad and started to walk far from listening ears.

"Okay. Is everything alright? Did something happen to him?"

 _"No, he's fine. It's just… I thought that you should know something happened between me and him."_ Kourtney felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" The line went silent. Kourtney looked at her phone to see if the line had been disconnected.

 _"I didn't know he had a girlfriend. He never mentioned you."_

"What are you trying to say exactly?" Kourtney felt like a weight had been placed on her chest.

 _"Alex and I hooked up last weekend."_ It seemed like the wind was knocked out of her. Kourtney suddenly found it hard to breathe. _"I thought he liked me, but he told me he had a girlfriend and… I really feel bad. I thought you should know. He told me he wasn't planning on confessing to you and…I just thought you should know."_

It took a second for Kourtney to find her voice. "Right. Thanks. Thank you."

Kourtney hung up the phone, still not believing what happened.

"Kourtney, are you ready to join us now?" Leslie called.

"Uh, no. I-I gotta go! Something came up!" Kourtney grabbed her bag. She ignored Leslie's protests. As she ran past the football player's side of the field, she remembered Paul. She quickly reasoned that he could get a ride from the other players. She got to her car and hurried inside. Her tires screeched as she peeled out of the parking lot. She tried her best to remain composed. The only thought that comforted her was that maybe it was just another misunderstanding. Or maybe the girl was simply lying because Alex rejected her advances. She couldn't believe what the girl disclosed to her. As far as she knew, Alex still loved her. After their misunderstanding the weekend before, Alex continued to call and text regularly. He constantly told her how much he missed her and how much he loved her. Tears started to fall as another thought hit Kourtney: he had been doing everything out of guilt. Kourtney let the tears fall as she stopped in front of her house. She punched in a number and got sent to voice mail. "Marianne, please call me back! Alex…he…cheated on me!"

Kourtney got out of her car and went straight into the house and to her room. She let herself cry for a good few minutes. When she was able to control her sobbing, she decided to call her boyfriend.

 _"Hello?"_ he answered. Kourtney couldn't speak. _"Babe?"_

A sob escaped. _"Kourt, what's wrong?"_ Still nothing came out. _"Baby?"_

"Don't call me that," Kourtney snapped.

 _"What-"_

"You cheated on me!" It was Alex's turn to be silent. Kourtney let out a cry when she didn't hear Alex deny it immediately.

 _"Babe, you gotta let me explain."_

"So it's true?"

 _"I-I don't know what happened."_

"Did you sleep with another girl?" Kourtney yelled into her phone.

 _"I can explain,"_ Alex said.

"I don't need an explanation, Alex! Did you cheat on me?"

 _"Yes."_ More tears came upon hearing Alex's answer. _"I can explain."_

"I don't need a fucking explanation on why you cheated on me-"

 _"I didn't mean to!"_ Kourtney scoffed.

"How does that work, Alex? How did you not mean to cheat?"

 _"I was mad."_

"That I didn't answer your calls?" Kourtney's emotion was switching from devastated to angry. "You knew we were cheering at the scrimmage game and then we had senior beach day!"

 _"I know, but you and Paul-"_

"What does Paul have to do with this?" Kourtney cried. All she was hearing was excuses.

 _"I don't know! I'm sorry, babe. I love you. You know that right? Please know that. I love you. Let's work through this. Please."_ Kourtney shook her head, not wanting to hear anything he said.

"No, Alex."

 _"Kourt-"_

"I don't want to work through this. You cheated on me" She didn't know how, but Kourtney was able stop her tears and speak calmly and evenly.

 _"Babe-"_

"It's over, Alex."

 _"Kourtney, no!"_ Kourtney didn't stay on too long. She quickly hung up then turned off her phone. She flung her phone against her wall, splitting it in two. She crawled under her covers and just cried.

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Paul let the hot water roll down his shoulders and down his body. He had a rough practice and the hot water was helping his sore body. He allowed himself five more minutes under the shower until he turned it off. He dried himself and walked to his room to get dressed. He was ready to head to the living to unwind with some TV when his phone began to ring. He smiled when the picture of his girlfriend showed on the display.

"Hey, baby," he said.

 _"Paul, did you know about this?"_ Marianne sounded frantic.

"About what?" Paul asked.

 _"Alex cheated on Kourtney."_ Paul took a second to take in what she said.

"Wait, what? Alex wouldn't do that to Kourt."

 _"Well apparently he would because he did! Kourtney left me a voicemail crying. I just got around to checking it now. I've been trying to call her, but she's not picking up."_

"No, no, no. That doesn't seem right. Are you sure you heard her right?" Paul insisted.

 _"I'm sure. I mean, I hope I did hear wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what she said."_

"Alright, baby, let me talk to Alex first then I'll call you back."

 _"I'll keep trying Kourtney. I love you."_

"Love you, too."

Paul quickly dialed his best friend's number. It only took one ring for Alex to answer.

 _"Kourt,"_ Alex cried. _"Babe-"_

"Alex! What the hell is going on?" Paul asked.

 _"Not now, Lahote!"_ He sounded annoyed.

"You fucking cheated on Kourtney? Don't tell me it's true."

 _"Bro, this doesn't concern you alright?"_

"Kourt is Marianne's best friend! She's my friend, too, Alex! What the hell were you thinking?"

Alex laughed and for some reason it made Paul mad.

 _"Maybe I was thinking that my best friend was getting a little too close to my girlfriend."_ Paul was stunned.

"What?" He asked his anger dissipating.

 _"From what I've been seeing, you've been getting a little too close to Kourtney."_

"Alex, man, what are you talking about?" Paul sat down on his bed.

 _"I've seen the videos and the pictures, Paul. You've been getting a little too close to my girlfriend,"_ Alex repeated.

"What-"

 _"I should've known something like this would happen!"_

"Alex, we're just friends," Paul cried. "I'm with Marianne. You're talking crazy right now!"

 _"Really? Were you talking crazy when you told me that you liked Kourtney first?"_ Paul was speechless. He remembered that night. It was a guys' night when all they all went out camping and drinking after they graduated. Of course Paul was the only one who didn't graduate, but it was still his class. Alex had been going on and on about his move to L.A and he eventually mentioned wanting Kourtney to be there with him. This prompted some teasing from the guys, but Alex expressed his undying love for Kourtney.

"Are you serious right now? I was drunk off my ass when I said that! I was kidding!"

 _"Bullshit, Lahote! It all makes sense now. You approached Kourtney first. You introduce yourself to her because you liked her, right? That's what you do."_ Paul didn't answer. _"Then when you found out that I asked her out, you didn't say shit! That's why you said you 'let' me have her."_

Paul struggled to find an answer. Everything that Alex said was true. He wasn't just being nice when he introduce himself to Kourtney. He was attracted to her the first time he saw her. Little did he know, his best friend would bump into Kourtney the following day and would immediately ask her out. Paul didn't even know about them dating until Alex introduced them two, not knowing they already met.

 _"Can't say shit now, huh?"_

"Shut up, Skye! I also remember saying that if it wasn't for Kourtney I never would have met Marianne, you know, my girlfriend now!" Paul's anger was back. "Look, I know what you're trying to do Alex. You're trying to make me look like the bad guy here. You're the one who cheated on Kourtney. I didn't have shit to do with that! I didn't make you cheat on her, you did that all on your own!"

 _"Fuck you, Paul! Stay the fuck away from Kourtney!"_

Paul looked at his phone as the line disconnected. His head was reeling from what just happened. He couldn't believe that his best friend accused him of trying to steal his girlfriend. He thought of the reasons why Alex would think that. He mentioned seeing pictures and videos. Paul's mind went to all the videos that Nate took during the practices and the senior beach day. Then he went on to think about the night that he admitted to Alex his initial crush on Kourtney. Paul cursed at himself.

He ran his hand through his hair trying to decide what to do. He was a mix of emotions. He was angry. At who or what, he didn't know. He might have been angry at Alex for thinking the worse of him. Or maybe he was angry at himself for admitting his crush on Kourtney. That was a mistake; he should've taken that to his grave.

Then the thought about Kourtney. He cared for her of course. After all, she was his friend. She was his girlfriend's best friend. Now she was his best friend's former girlfriend, who he was defending.

Paul rose from his bed. Grabbing his jacket and his keys, he made his way out of the house and to his car. He got behind the wheel and started the engine. Then he stopped. He had planned on driving to Kourtney's to see how she was, but he was re-thinking the idea. Now that Alex planted the seed that Paul had been inappropriately close with Kourtney, Paul was beginning to think he shouldn't see her. Sure, he and Alex had a fight, but he was still his best friend. They had fights before, not as big as this one, but Paul was sure they'd laugh about it the next day.

After thinking about it some more, he decided to step back from the situation. It was Kourtney and Alex's relationship; they should be the only ones to try and fix it. He should distance himself for the time being to avoid it getting worse. Kourtney loved Alex and Alex loved her. Paul was certain Alex didn't mean to cheat like he claimed. They still had a chance to fix things.

Paul turned off the engine and made his way back in the house. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. He tried to get into whatever show was on, but his mind wouldn't stop replaying what Alex said. It all eventually led him to think back on the first day he saw Kourtney. He remembered taking a double take when he first saw her. It didn't take long for him to decide to introduce himself to her. Then he remembered finding out that his best friend had asked her out. Paul shook his head as if it would shake away his thoughts. He really didn't want to think about it because if he did and if Paul was being honest with himself, he knew deep down that there was some truth in Alex's words.

* * *

 **AN** : I hope you all are enjoying my fanfic so far! Please review! I love reading them! Thank you! :)


	5. Chapter 5

_**M: See Kourt for me, pls. Give her a hug from me.**_

It was the first text Paul saw when he woke up. Paul sighed and rubbed his eyes. His plan of staying away from Kourtney was already going awry. He decided not to reply. He began to get ready for that day's practice. He began to go through what he would say if Kourtney started talking to him. He was debating whether or not he should act dumb when it came to knowing about Alex's cheating. As far as he knew, Alex had cheated and Kourtney found out. He wasn't sure if they broke up. He didn't get a chance to call Marianne after his blow out with Alex, so he wasn't updated with any new information.

Paul parked in front of the field. He was a little late, so he quickly grabbed his bag and jogged to the field. All the while, he looked over at the cheerleaders, trying to spot for Kourtney.

"Lahote! You just cost everyone laps around the field!" the coach called out. His teammates groaned and glared at him. He ignored them, dropped off his bag, and led the team to run their laps.

Fifteen minutes later, the team finished their punishment and was doing their stretches. Paul finished his stretches and made his way to the sidelines. He was getting his pads on when he saw Leslie making her way towards him.

"Paul, what's up with Kourtney?"

"What do you mean?" Paul asked uncertainly. News always traveled fast in La Push, but he wasn't sure how Leslie would have found out.

"First she runs off mid-practice and today she didn't even show up!" Leslie said. Paul could only shrug. "Come on, I know you know."

"She's just dealing with something, alright?" Paul didn't want to talk more than he needed. He didn't want word to get back to Alex. He still hadn't talked to Alex since their last conversation.

"Tell her to call me okay? I've been trying to call her but it goes straight to voicemail."

Paul nodded. Leslie thanked him and made her way back to her squad. Paul finished getting ready then made his way to the field.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

It was nearing five and practice was wrapping up. As always, Paul couldn't wait to take his nice, hot shower.

"These practices are brutal," Brian said as he took a seat next to Paul.

"Yeah."

"Didn't help with the extra laps, Lahote."

"Sorry," Paul mumbled.

"You and Marianne okay?" Paul nodded.

"You talk to Alex recently? How's he doing? Enjoying the honeys in L.A.?" Brian joked. Paul's eyes narrowed at Brian. "Just kidding man! Don't tell Kourtney I said that." Paul bit his tongue.

"Hey, Paul!" Paul looked up to see Christy heading his way. "Is Kourtney okay?" Paul sighed. "I don't need to know what's going," Christy assured him. "Just let her know I'm here, alright?" Why did everyone expect him to be the messenger?

"What's going on with Kourtney?"

"Nothing." Brian gave him a look. "What?"

"I know you know. You and Kourtney are like tight man!"

"Shut up, Lowry!" Paul wanted nothing more to tell him mind his own business. Of course, more colorful words would have been used, but Paul decided to shut his mouth. He didn't want to cause and scene and he didn't want to piss off Brian again. Whenever Brian was pissed off, he would tell everyone, including Alex. Paul just wanted to fly under the radar until things settled down between Kourtney and Alex. Then maybe he and Alex could make up and there wouldn't be any awkwardness. Plus, Paul did not want to be the subject of gossip. Paul gathered his things.

"See you tomorrow," he told Brian. He got to his truck and set off for home.

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"What are you doing here?" Paul was surprised at Kourtney's words.

After getting home, Paul took his hot shower. He was planning on crashing out early, but his phone wouldn't stop beeping. Apparently Kourtney's phone was still off and all the cheerleaders were getting concerned. Why they couldn't drive themselves to Kourtney's house to physically check on her, he didn't understand. He only got up from his bed to go see her when Marianne called and practically told him to.

" _She's going to need someone to talk to. Be her best friend for me,_ "she told him.

So now, Paul stood in front of Kourtney and he was confused by her tone and her greeting.

"I just wanted to see how you were," Paul explained. Kourtney stepped out onto the porch, carefully shutting the door behind her.

"Your best friend slept with another girl, Paul." She crossed her arms, her face frowning at him.

"Wait, are you mad at me?" Paul asked. Kourtney didn't say anything. "You think I knew about that? I didn't!" Paul cried. "I wouldn't keep that from you!"

Kourtney's demeanor wavered. She dropped her arms and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said as she sat on the steps. She rested her elbows on her lap and covered her face with her hands.

"It's alright," Paul said, not wanting her to start crying. But she did. He awkwardly took a seat next to her, keeping a good enough space. "Come on, Kourt. I'm not Marianne. I'm not good at consoling people."

Kourtney let out a laugh. She looked at him, her cheeks tear streaked. She gave him a smile small.

"Yeah, you are the worst. No offense, but I wish Marianne was here instead of you."

"Too bad. She was the one who told me to come here on her behalf. So, I'm the best you got. I'll be your best friend for the night."

"So does that mean you'll come in for sappy movies, ice cream, and a good cryfest together?"

"Shit, is that what you girls do?" Kourtney nodded. "Nah, I'm good, then." Kourtney laughed again. "At least I got you laugh. That's a good thing right?"

"Yeah, it is. I needed one. I've been crying non-stop. Just when I think I'm out of tears, more just come out." Kourtney wiped her eyes.

"Any more crying your eyes are gonna be puffed shut."

"Shut up, Lahote!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Kourtney shook her head, but she was smiling. It wasn't the kind that reached her eyes, but it was better than her crying.

"You're such a jerk." Paul smiled, then stopped. He questioned if this was what Alex meant about him getting too close to Kourtney. The two sat quietly. Paul didn't know what else to say to her. He felt as if he was walking on eggshells. He didn't want to mention Alex for fear of setting off another wave of tears. He also didn't want to do or say anything that might be misconstrued as flirting. Then again, no one was around, but Paul was paranoid. It was bad enough Alex called him out, he didn't need Kourtney or Marianne knowing either.

"Well, thanks for stopping by Paul, but I think I'm just gonna go in and lie down." Paul thanked the higher power.

"I'm sure crying all day is exhausting."

"It is," Kourtney joked. "Good night, Paul." Paul stood and watched Kourtney walk to her door.

"Hey, if you need anything, I'm here," Paul told her. Kourtney nodded.

"I know. And thank you." Kourtney gave him a small wave and disappeared into her house.

Paul let out a sigh. He did it. He was there as a friend for Kourtney and nothing happened. Alex was wrong. There was nothing going on between them. Paul had no romantic feelings for Kourtney. Too bad Alex was still ignoring his calls and he wouldn't be able to rub it in.

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"What happened?" Kourtney sighed.

"Guys, I don't want to talk about it, alright?"

"Ladies, give her some space! We're starting in five minutes. Kourt, will you be able to get caught up?"

"I'll help her," Christy offered. Kourtney gave her a smile.

"I always knew Alex was a jerk," Kayla said. Kourtney doubted she meant that, but she smiled at her nonetheless.

It was the middle of the week and Kourtney decided to drag herself out of bed and to practice, even if she already missed an hour of it. Nonetheless, Leslie was pleased to see her show up. Kayla and Moni instantly swarmed her, asking her about Alex. Turns out, Alex tried to get in touch with all the other girls in hopes they would talk to Kourtney for him. Kourtney settled for only telling them that they had broken up, but the gossipy girls needed to know more details. Next thing she knew, Kourtney confirmed that Alex had cheated. She didn't know how, but Moni and Kayla knew how to wear a person down for information. Thankfully, Leslie broke up their interrogation and resumed practice.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

"Thanks for helping me out Christy! Sorry I made you late to your date."

"Don't worry about it!"

Practice already ended, but Leslie was adamant that Kourtney catch up with the cheers. Christy offered to help her. Kourtney was grateful for Christy. Out of all the girls on the squad, she got along with Christy the best. She was sweet and wasn't into the gossip like the other girls. She despised how rumors started so easily around La Push. She was not the average Quiluete girl. For one, rather than dating someone from La Push, she was dating a guy she met from Port Angeles. " _The further from La Push, the better,_ " Christy once told Kourtney. She actually had plans to meet with her boyfriend, but gladly postponed it so she could help Kourtney.

"Have fun!" Christy waved at Kourtney. She gathered her stuff and started her walk to her car. "Take care of her, Paul. And cuss out that best friend of yours for me."

Paul only smiled. Even though Kourtney had her own ride, he still stayed behind. A few of the guys wanted to run a quick game anyway. They ended ten minutes ago, leaving Paul by himself while he waited for Christy and Kourtney to finish. He packed up his stuff and sat on the bench and waited for Kourtney. He stood up once she neared him.

"You didn't have to wait," she told him.

"You look better. No more puffy eyes," he said, ignoring her comment. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"The wonders of make-up."

"Well, you seemed better around everyone," Paul said.

"I'm a cheerleader. I can fake the smile and the pep," she said over enthusiastically, performing a few cheerleading moves to emphasize what she was saying. She then dropped her arms back down. "I really feel like I'm dying inside."

Paul groaned.

"You're so dramatic." Kourtney got quiet. "Don't cry again, please!"

"Don't say that because it makes me want to cry!" Kourtney covered her face

"I'm sorry!"

"You really suck at this, Paul!" She uncovered her face, wiping her tears away. Kourtney gave a little laugh. "He's such a jerk. More of a jerk than you are. He's an asshole."

"I know. He's an idiot for what he did."

Kourtney sniffled. "But?"

"What?" Paul turned to look at her.

"I don't know. I just thought this was the part where you'd tell me something to try and make me forgive Alex."

"No. He's my best friend." ' _Hopefully still.'_ "But I don't agree with what he did."

Kourtney didn't say anything. She seemed to be in deep thought.

"You really are a good guy, Paul," she said finally, giving him a smile. Paul couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, I have my moments." They were now off the field and on the parking lot. Kourtney parked on the other side of the lot.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Need a ride tomorrow?"

"How about I give you a ride?" She asked. "Your truck is just awful."

"There is nothing wrong with my truck!"

"It stinks!" Kourtney cried.

"I'll put my gear in the back!"

"Your gear is one thing, you yourself is another," Kourtney teased. Paul bit back a laugh. He put on a fake scowl.

"What was that?" He asked as he opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh my gosh, you stink!" Paul hugged her tighter.

"What was that?" he asked again. "You're mumbling. I can't hear you!"

"Paul! You're all sweaty and sticky and you stink!" Paul continued to ignore her.

"Lahote!" Kourtney cried in between giggles. She began to hit him at his side. When that didn't affect him, she tickled him. Paul let out a high-pitched giggle, sending Kourtney into a laughing fit.

"Shut up, Hunt!" Paul cried. He retaliated by trying to tickle her as well, but she blocked is attempts. Finally, he reached for one of her wrists. She tried to pull away, but Paul was stronger and she flew back into his arms, still laughing from hearing him giggle.

Paul paused for a second to take in what was happening. Kourtney was in his arms, laughing because of him. They were so close he could smell the faint scent of her shampoo. Even a day out in the sun, she still smelled good. He looked down at her and their eyes locked. Her dark brown eyes were bright and smiling despite the hurt he knew she was feeling. Her mouth was formed into her smile that Paul had become familiar with. It was the same smile she flashed him when they first met.

Paul was aware of what he was doing that second. He was aware of the fact that he was slowly leaning down and closer to Kourtney. He felt his lips meet hers and for a split second, Paul seemed to forget everything except for Kourtney. It wasn't until Kourtney pushed him away that he realized what he did and how bad of an idea it was.

"Paul!" she cried with a shocked expression. They both stood, staring at each other. She had a look of horror on her face and he was sure his face had the same look. Without another word, Kourtney turned and walked rather quickly to her car.

"Kourtney! Wait!" Paul managed to say. He was rooted to his spot. His legs seemed to forget how to move. By the time he took a step, Kourtney was already driving out of the parking lot.

"Shit!" Paul ran to his truck and took off after Kourtney.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

Kourtney's mind was racing as she drove through La Push to her house. Paul kissed her. Her best friend's boyfriend just kissed her. First her boyfriend cheated on her, now her best friend's boyfriend cheated with her.

Kourtney could hear Paul's truck running behind her. She screeched to a halt. Paul had to quickly swerve beside her to avoid hitting her. She got out of the car at the same time Paul got out of his.

"Kourtney-"

"Why the hell do you do that?" Kourtney yelled.

"I don't know!"

"Paul! You're with Marianne! She's my best friend! Do you know what you just did?"

"I know! I know! I'm sorry! I don't know why I-"

"You just made things really awkward. We're friends, Paul!"

"I'm sorry, Kourtney!"

"Marianne needs to know, Paul." Paul groaned and then sighed.

"I know. I'll tell her alright? It was my fault. It's all on me. I'll be the one to tell her."

Kourtney slowly nodded. Her stomach knotted at the thought of Marianne's reaction.

"You better, Paul! You need to tell her soon!" Kourtney didn't wait for his reply. She got back in her car and sped off, leaving Paul to think about what he just did.

* * *

 **AN:** What did Paul just do? :O Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! I would love to hear what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

The alarm clocked blared exactly at 8:00 am. Paul continued to snore through it. At 8:05, Gene Lahote entered his son's room to turn off the alarm. He watched Paul spread out on his bed, still snoring, showing no signs of waking up anytime saw. He noticed how Paul's feet dangled at the edge of the bed. He wondered how he missed his teenage son's growth spurts. Were 18 year olds still allowed growth spurts? A cough coming from the living room brought him back from his thoughts.

"Paul," Gene said. Nothing. Gene reached out and began to shake Paul. The warmth of his skin surprised him. "Wake up, son! Paul!"

Paul instantly sat up. He looked around, seemingly disoriented. Gene placed a hand over Paul's forehead.

"I think you have a fever," he told him.

"What?" Paul said, still groggy. He reached up and felt his forehead. It felt fine to him. "I feel fine, Dad. What time is it?"

"Eight. Get up and get dressed. We have company."

"Dad, I gotta get to practice."

"Did you hear me? You have a fever. You're sick. You're staying home."

Paul glared at his dad. "Dad! I'm the quarterback! I can't miss practice!"

"That's why they have back-ups, Paul," Gene said calmly. He moved to the doorway. "Get up, change, and meet us in the living room."

"Dad-" Paul began, but Gene had already closed the door. Paul sat in bed, already angry. His day barely started and he was already pissed off. He made sure to take his time when he was getting dressed. Almost half an hour later, Paul walked into the living room. He stopped as she saw Sam Uley standing behind the arm chair. In that arm chair sat Old Quil. His dad sat on the couch and he indicated Paul to sit next to him.

"What's going on?" Paul asked, suddenly getting nervous. He knew Sam Uley from when he went to La Push High School. He graduated two years ago and Paul rarely saw him around. Sam changed a lot from the last time Paul saw him. He seemed to have grown a few inches taller and he certainly looked a bit more built. He wore a shirt with the sleeves cut off and Paul noticed a tattoo on his right arm.

"Just sit down, Paul," Gene said. Paul made his way to the couch and took a seat next to his dad. "You remember Sam?"

"Yeah," Paul said. Sam only nodded as a greeting.

"And of course, Old Quil."

Paul nodded. He felt like he should be bowing his head or something. Old Quil was considered an Elder and he was the head of the council. The council of what, Paul had no idea.

"Good morning, sir," Paul said.

Old Quil gave him a smile.

"How are you, young Lahote?" Old Quil asked.

"I'm good."

"Do you remember the legends of the Spirit Warriors?"

Paul thought it was an odd question to be asked. Did he remember the legends? No, not really. He stopped attending the bon fires when he was fourteen. He certainly didn't want to admit that to Old Quil. For as long as he could remember, it had always been Old Quil who told the legends. At the same time, he felt ashamed just thinking about lying to him.

"Uh, I can't say that I do. I remember parts of it," Paul finally said.

"Then I suggest you listen carefully this time around, young Lahote," Old Quil said. Paul felt his dad settle back into the couch. He eventually followed suit. Paul glanced at Sam who was preoccupied looking out the window. Paul turned his attention back to Old Quil who began to retell the legends of the spirit warriors.

.-~*.~-..-~*.~-..-~*.~-. .-~*.~-..-~*.~-.

The halls of La Push High School were busy with students scrambling to get to their first class of the first day of the school year. Kourtney, being a senior, was used to it. By now, she knew which teachers were strict with the tardies and which teachers didn't care. She was at her locker, tearing out all her pictures with Alex. Since it was a small school, the students kept the same lockers for all four of their high school years.

"Hi, Kourtney," Devin said as he stopped by the locker beside hers.

"Hey, Devin," she said with a smile. She made an effort to be nice to Devin. Everyone thought he was weird. They weren't wrong, but Kourtney felt bad with the way people isolated him. "How was your summer?"

"It was awesome! I got to go to Comic Con, finally!" Yes, he was that kind of a geek which just made him even more of a loner. "How about you?"

"Eh, it was alright."

"I'm sorry about Alex. That was a really jerky thing for him to do." Kourtney sighed.

"Thanks, Devin. I'm alright, though," Kourtney said.

"I know," he said with a smile. Kourtney's brows burrowed in confusion.

"Get lost, Jackson!" Brian said. Devin closed his locker and left without another word.

"Come on, Brian! You can be a little nicer!" Kourtney lectured. He only laughed.

"Lahote come in yet?" Kourtney stiffened at the mention of Paul. She hadn't spoken to him since the kiss. The same went for Marianne. For once, she was glad that her best friend was busy with whatever she was doing in New York. "Have you heard from him?"

"Can't say that I have," Kourtney said.

"He's ignoring you, too, huh?" Little did Brian know, it was the other way around. "He missed practice all last week. Our first game is already this Friday! If you see him, let him know that coach wants to talk to him."

Kourtney nodded. She doubt that she would be seeing him anytime soon. It wasn't until the end of school that she realized she was right. Paul didn't show up for school at all. The first day and he was already starting off on the wrong foot. Kourtney wondered why she cared. ' _Because he's your friend,_ ' a voice in the back of her head told her.

Devin was already at his locker when Kourtney got to hers.

"Is Paul okay? I heard coach pulled him off the games and Brian is the starter now."

"I haven't heard from him since last week," Kourtney shared.

"Been a little busy huh?"

"Yeah, Leslie likes to keep us busy." Kourtney felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her back pocket. It was Alex. Again. He had been calling her twice a day since they broke up. Kourtney groaned.

"Everything okay?" Devin asked.

"Yeah, some people can't take a hint."

"Some people meaning Alex? He's still calling you?"

Kourtney nodded.

"You should tell him to stop," Devin suggested, making Kourtney laugh.

"Trust me, I have tried. Maybe I should change my number or something. Well, I gotta get going. I'll see you, Devin."

.-~*.~-..-~*.~-..-~*.~-. .-~*.~-..-~*.~-.

Paul was on the couch watching TV. Ever since Old Quil's visit, he had been confined to the house. He wasn't allowed to have visitors unless it was Sam Uley and Jared Cameron. He glanced at the clock. School was let out half an hour ago. Jared had slipped out to pick up his girlfriend. Paul guessed that he would be back shortly. He felt annoyed when he realized that he would have been on his way to practice if he had been allowed to go to school. He missed a full week and with a game coming up, he knew he wouldn't be able to play. Actually, it was already decided for him: he no longer could be part of the football team. According to Old Quil, he was going to have bigger responsibilities coming.

Paul was still in denial. He was not a shapeshifter. He was not going to shift into a wolf any time soon. Sure, his temperature was high even though he felt fine. Yes, he seemed to have grown half a foot taller within two weeks. However, he highly doubt that it meant he was a werewolf. He wondered how long he had to be babysat before they realized he wasn't a freak.

He heard a knock on the door.

"It's open," Paul called. He didn't even bat an eye when Jared walked in. Jared didn't say a word and plopped down on the arm chair. The two sat in silence, watching TV. A ringing sound came from Paul's room. He quickly got up to get his cell phone. He was surprised when he saw that it was Alex's number. He picked up immediately. "Hello?"

"Did you kiss Kourt?" Paul was rendered speechless. How did he know? "Hello?"

"Uh, yeah I'm here," Paul said.

"Did you kiss Kourtney?" Alex repeated.

"No," Paul lied. He still hadn't had the chance to speak to Marianne; it was something he was clearly avoiding even though he promised Kourtney. If Alex found out, he was sure to tell Marianne and it would just be a bigger mess. "What makes you say that?"

"Devin told me he saw Kourtney kissing some guy in the parking lot last week."

"Really?" Paul mentally began beating Devin up.

"Yeah," Alex said. "You sure it wasn't you?"

"Yeah," Paul said.

"You put that on our friendship?" Paul cursed to himself.

"Yeah, man. That wasn't me. Why was Devin telling you this anyway?"

Alex laughed. "Little loser wanted to let me know that Kourtney moved on and told me to stop bothering her. Can you believe that shit?"

Paul forced a laugh. "Crazy shit."

"Yeah, it is. You don't think it's true, do you?"

"Uh, no. I mean, she seemed pretty broken up about…you two."

"Really? Maybe I still have a chance. I've been calling her but she hasn't been answering." Paul gritted his teeth as he listened to Alex go on about trying to get Kourtney back. "If it is true though, wouldn't that be bullshit? Two fucking days after we break up and the bitch is already tonguing someone else."

Then it happened. Something inside Paul snapped. Next thing he knew, his phone dropped to the ground. His clothes tore away from his body. He was covered in fur and he no longer stood on his two feet.

' _What. The. Fuck!'_

"Paul?" came Jared's voice. Soon Jared was at his doorway. He had a look of shock on his face. "Shit!"

' _Paul?'_

' _Who the hell-'_

' _It's Sam.'_

' _Why the fuck are you in my head? What the fuck is going on?'_ Paul began to move around his room. He heard a crash and he looked back and saw that his tail had knocked over his table lamp.

"Paul, calm down!" Jared told him. "Is Sam talking to you right now?"

' _Is Jared with you?'_

' _He's in front of me.'_

' _Where are you exactly?'_

' _In my room.'_

' _I'll be there. Just sit still!'_ Paul immediately sat down like a dog. Within minutes, Paul heard the front door open. Sam soon appeared beside Jared.

"Alright, Paul. You just shifted for the first time."

' _This shit is real? The legends?'_

"I can't understand you right now," Sam told him. "We have to be in our wolf form to communicate like we were earlier. But right now, you are going to have to calm down."

' _I'm a fucking wolf!'_ Paul growled. Sam held up his hands.

"Hey! Calm down, alright? Just lay down. You need to calm down and concentrate. You have to be calm and think about trying to phase back into your human form."

Paul slowly laid down. He tried to calm down, but his mind was still racing. He was a wolf. He transformed like Old Quil had told him. Sam was also one, and he was guessing Jared was one too.

"It might take some time," Sam told him. He turned to Jared. "Tell Gene that it's happened and he should probably stay somewhere else until Paul phases back. Let Old Quil know, too. Maybe he can come down and help Paul phase back."

Jared nodded obediently and took off. Paul guessed that Sam was the boss.

' _Welcome to the pack, Lahote._ ' Paul heard Jared's voice.

* * *

 **AN:** I hope you enjoyed! Please review! I may be a little slow updating now. The holidays are nearing and finals are coming up. I also have to start working on a fanfic that I planned to upload in the new year (It is called Greatest Weakness: Life. It is a Vampire Diaries fanfic). Plus, things in this fanfic are starting to pick up. ;) I want to do the upcoming chapters justice, because things are about to get more complicated.

 _ **Review, review, review!**_ I love hearing what you think! Special thanks to _**EJM87**_ for the reviews! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Kourtney waved good bye to her friends and made her way to her car. She eyed the spot where she stood when Paul kissed her. She hadn't spoken to him still. Third day of school and Paul still hadn't shown up. Even though she was upset with him, she couldn't help but worry. No one had seen or heard from Paul since the week before. The only news that was shared was by the coaches. Mr. Lahote informed them that Paul was sick and would no longer be able to play football. Rumor was that Paul was dying. Kourtney knew the rumor was ridiculously wrong, but it still left her worried.

However, no matter how worried she was, she still refused to talk to him. Not until he spoke with Marianne first. Seeing that she still had yet to hear from her best friend, Kourtney knew Paul still hadn't spoken with her. Kourtney felt stressed whenever she thought about her predicament. She knew she should've just called Marianne as soon as Paul kissed her. She shouldn't have depended on Paul to break the news. As far as she was concerned, she did nothing wrong. At least, she didn't think she did anything wrong. Ever since the kissed happened, Kourtney would often look back to see what she could have done or said to prompt Paul to kiss her. Paul was a flirt. Everyone knew it, she knew it, Marianne knew it. Kourtney wondered if there were any instances in which Paul had flirted with her, but she couldn't think of any. Surely rumors would spread if Kourtney and Paul had been inappropriately close, but so far, Kourtney hadn't heard anything like that.

Kourtney pulled up to her house. She recognized the black pick-up parked in front of the Ateara's. Her heart raced thinking about coming face to face with Paul again after their kiss. She scrambled out of her car and decided to prevent running into him. She reached her porch when she heard voices coming from next door. Kourtney looked and saw Paul's dad step out with Old Quil. Kourtney breathed a sigh of relief. She stood idly as they wrapped up their conversation. She saw the two gentlemen shake hands. Kourtney waited until Old Quil disappeared into the house before walking down the pathway.

"Mr. Lahote!" Kourtney called. Gene stopped and turned around.

"Kourtney, how are you?" he said, smiling. Paul had the same smile.

"I'm good. I just wanted to ask if everything okay with Paul?" Mr. Lahote's eyes flashed with an emotion Kourtney couldn't read. He seemed hesitant to say anything. "He missed the first three days of school…"

"Yes, I know. He's, uh, he's sick." He nodded his head as if trying to make himself believe it.

"Is he alright? He's been sick for a couple of weeks now."

"Yes, it's nothing serious. It's just a bug. Hopefully he'll get it under control. Right now he just needs rest." With that Mr. Lahote gave her a nod and started to walk to the truck.

"Can you let him know to call me? Or even text? I have to talk to him about something," Kourtney called.

"I'll pass it along." He gave a final wave before disappearing into the truck and driving off.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

It was Friday; the end of the first week of Kourtney's senior year. La Push was having their first football game that night. Kourtney was clad in her cheerleading uniform. She was at her locker getting what she needed for the weekend when she saw Kim Moone walk up to her own locker. Kim, also a senior, was the shy, quiet type. Kourtney never really talked to her except for the usual pleasantries in the hallways. Even when they had the same class they never really spoke. Kourtney only knew Kim because she was Christy's cousin. Christy would sometimes eat lunch with Kim and other times Kim would join Christy at the cheerleader's table. However, Kourtney knew Kim preferred eating away from the loud, rambunctious cheerleaders.

Other than Christy, Kourtney and Kim never had any friends in common. Or so Kourtney thought. It wasn't until the last period of the day that Kourtney realized Kim knew Paul. She never saw the two even make eye contact with one another so it was very surprising when Kourtney overheard Kim asking Ms. Henning for the assignments Paul needed to make up.

Kourtney felt hurt. For some reason, Paul felt the need to approach Kim before even asking Kourtney for help. It bothered her. Kourtney reminded herself that she was upset with Paul and he probably didn't want to upset her even more, but it didn't provide much comfort. When she saw Kim at the lockers, it was the perfect opportunity to talk with her.

"Hey," Kourtney said.

"Hi, Kourtney," Kim said with a smile. Kourtney smiled back.

"I heard you got Paul's homework for him." Kim looked surprised and then nodded. "I didn't know you two talked."

"We didn't. At least not until this week," Kim replied in her soft voice. "He's friends with my boyfriend. He asked me to get his homework for him."

"So you know where he lives?" Kim nodded. "Oh, well, I can give it to him, if you want."

Kim looked at Kourtney. She seemed to be thinking it over. She shook her head. "It's okay, it's no trouble really. Plus, don't you have a game to get to? I'm pretty sure Paul wants his stuff right away."

"Well, do you know if he's okay?" Kim rushed to put her books away.

"He's fine. I should go." Kourtney watched as Kim rushed down the hallway and out the door. Kourtney finished grabbing her things and left. She saw her friends grouped together at the front of the school.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to meet at the field?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, we were on our way there," Moni said. "But look at that!"

Kourtney followed Moni's gaze. She saw Kim walking to the end of the parking lot towards a red Jeep.

"Isn't that Jared's car?" Kayla asked. Kourtney nodded. She only knew since he showed it off at the end of the previous school year. It was a graduation present from his parents and everyone marveled at it. Kourtney watched along with the other cheerleaders as Kim got closer to the red Jeep. Jared Cameron stepped out of the driver's side. "Oh my… When did he get so unbelievably hot?"

Kourtney quietly agreed. Jared grew taller than Kourtney remembered. His hair was shorter now. Even from afar Kourtney could see the defined arm muscles. She even noticed the new ink he sported on the top of his right arm.

Everyone gasped as Jared gave Kim a kiss before walking her over to the passenger side. Like a gentleman, he opened the door for her.

"I'm more curious as to when they finally happened!" Moni said. Kourtney wondered too. Everyone knew that Kim had the biggest crush on Jared Cameron. Whether Jared knew or not, Kourtney didn't know. All she knew was that Jared never even acknowledged Kim that much. Seeing them make out in the parking lot was just a big shock.

"I wonder what made him finally notice her," Kayla said. "She probably gave him some nice loving."

Everyone laughed.

"Kayla!" Kourtney cried. "Why do you always have to make everything about sex?"

"Of course you wouldn't understand Kourt. I mean, what else would make Jared notice her? He's hot and she's-"

"Stop!"

"You're such a bitch, Kayla," came Christy's voice. "That's my cousin you're talking about!"

"I'm just kidding, Chris! I'm happy that Kim finally got with Jared," Kayla said. Christy only rolled her eyes. She walked away from the group. "Jeez, she can't even take a joke!"

Kourtney shook her head and ran to catch up with Christy.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Christy said. "I'm just so sick of Kayla and her damn mouth. She and Moni are the instigators of everything!"

"I know," Kourtney said. The two friends walked to the field in silence, trying to ignore the annoying chatter of the cheerleaders behind them.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

Kourtney was sleeping soundly in bed when the shrill ringing of her phone woke her up. Kourtney cursed and reached to silence the call. Marianne's named popped up on the display. It was enough to chase the sleep away.

"Hello?" Kourtney instantly answered. "Marianne, are you okay?"

Marianne laughed _. "I'm fine! Are you okay? Oh crap, it's still early there isn't it?"_

"It's fine! Don't worry about it! I haven't heard from you in so long it feels like!"

" _I know! I've been so busy! I haven't spoken to Paul in almost two weeks!"_ Kourtney felt her stomach knot up.

"Like at all? No texts, e-mails?"

" _No. He usually leaves me a little text here and there, but nothing! Is everything okay?"_ Kourtney struggled on what to say.

"He's sick," she blurted out. "I haven't seen or heard from him either. No one has."

" _What?"_ Marianne asked. _"Is he okay?"_

"His dad tells me he is," Kourtney said. She scolded herself for stalling. "Look, Marianne, I have to tell you something."

" _Can you tell Paul to call me or at least to answer my calls, please?"_

"Yeah, sure. But,-"

"I gotta go, Kourt. The taxi's here."

" _No, Marianne, wait!"_

"Text me! I gotta go! Sorry Kourt!"

Kourtney watched as the line disconnected. She sighed in frustration. She was so close, yet she knew she didn't try hard enough. She was holding back. She didn't want to tell Marianne. Maybe she didn't have to. If she talked to Paul, they can agree to keep it between themselves. Obviously he didn't want to tell her either. It's been two weeks and he still hadn't told Marianne. Kourtney felt guilty for even thinking about keeping a secret from her best friend, but Kourtney convinced herself it was for the best. Now, she just needed to see if Paul was on board. Once he agreed, she could just distance herself from him and all would be well again.

* * *

 **AN:** This fic has been generating a lot of interest, so I decided to upload a new chapter! Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

Paul lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. After being in his wolf form for almost a week, he was finally able to calm down to phase back into his human form. His dad was still staying the Clearwaters, just in case Paul accidentally phased again.

He took advantage of the quietness. Being in his wolf form, his thoughts were an open book to Sam and Jared, and vice versa. He didn't have a minute to himself. The other two tried to ignore his thoughts, but Paul knew it was impossible. He tried ignoring their thoughts, but it was hard. Thoughts of Emily and Kim were always crossing Paul's thoughts. Now, he was finally back home and back in his own bed.

He let his eyes close. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. It was something he started doing to help him with his emotions. For some reason, he was more prone to phasing even when something little set him off. Old Quil thought that him being a shape shifter may have intensified his emotions and his temper. In other words, he needed to work harder than Sam or Jared to control himself.

He heard his phone vibrate on his night stand. He continued to concentrate on his breathing. More vibrating. Paul grabbed his phone before it could annoy him even more. He groaned when he saw that it was Marianne again. She had called him many times over the past couple of weeks. His inbox was flooded with texts from her, Brian, his coach, and even Kourtney.

He quickly pushed Kourtney out of his mind. He didn't want to think about her. She was the reason for his phasing. For some reason, he blamed her.

He got up and started to walk outside in case he would phase. He made his way to the forest. Once he was deep enough, he sat down and leaned against a tree trunk. His phone vibrated in his hand.

 _ **M: Please, call me Paul. Why haven't I heard from you? I'm worried.**_

Paul sighed. While he was a wolf, he thought about a lot of things. His life was changed the second Old Quil told him he had the shapeshifter gene and would eventually shift into a wolf. His dad, for one thing, seemed more protective of Paul. He continually made sure he was feeling okay. He made it clear that they were in it together…except they weren't; he wasn't the one who could phase into a wolf without any warning. He knew his dad meant well, but it just made Paul resentful.

On top of the change with his father, he knew he couldn't be around his usual group of friends. Not that he was forbidden to, but Sam was just concerned about him phasing especially if one of his friends rubbed him the wrong way. Whereas, with Sam and Jared, they could phase to fight Paul off if needed. It had only been two weeks of hanging with Sam and Jared, and he was starting to feel closer to them. Hanging out with his old group of friends didn't appeal to him as much anymore.

Then there was Marianne. He thought about her a lot during the time when he was a wolf. He thought about telling her, which Sam quickly shot down. _"No one else can know!"_ Sam had told him. Paul had the balls to question this and brought up Emily and Kim knowing. That's when he was told about the wonders of imprinting. Paul often wondered if Marianne was the one he would imprint on. Unfortunately he wouldn't know for sure until she came home which was still uncertain on her part. He also wondered what would happen if it wasn't her. What if he was walking down the beach one day and just bumped into the girl he was meant to be with? Then what?

Paul sighed. He looked at his cellphone and dialed Marianne's number.

" _Paul! Baby! I was so worried!"_

"Marianne…we need to talk."

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

Kourtney couldn't believe what she was hearing. Paul broke up with Marianne. Hearing her best friend sob over the phone broke Kourtney's own heart. It wasn't until lunch time that she saw and multiple missed calls and frantic text messages from Marianne. Kourtney feared the worst when she dialed her best friend's number, but she still hadn't been ready for the news of their break up.

"Marianne, don't worry, okay? I'll talk to Paul."

" _The only time I hear finally hear from him…and he breaks up with me!"_

"What did he say?"

" _He just told me he couldn't be with me anymore. I kept asking him why, but he wouldn't say anymore!"_

"Alright, just…calm down okay? I know it's hard, but pull your self together. Focus on your internship and your school. I will talk to Paul for you."

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney strode up to the Lahote residence. She pounded on the door.

"No one's home," a voice called.

Kourtney whirled around to see Jared Cameron. She froze as he walked over to her. She didn't even realize he was there. Kourtney tried to tear her eyes away from him. He was walking around shirtless! It was hard not to stare at his cut body.

"Uh, well, uh, I was just hoping to talk to Paul," Kourtney stammered looking everywhere but Jared. She could feel her cheeks redden. Jared smirked.

"They're not home and shouldn't you be in school?"

"Well, it's lunch break," she told him, still averting her eyes. He nodded.

"He's in Tacoma visiting his mom. Mr. Lahote is at work."

"I thought he was sick?"

"Mr. Lahote?" Jared asked.

"Paul," Kourtney told him with a roll of her eyes. Jared chuckled.

"He was. He's better now, but his mom worried about him so he went to see her. He'll be back at school next week. Maybe, we'll see." Jared laughed to himself some more. He only stopped when he saw the look Kourtney gave him. He cleared his throat. "You should get going."

Kourtney didn't move, neither did Jared. When it became clear to her that he wasn't planning on moving until she left, Kourtney gave in. She turned and got in her car to drive back to school.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"How's Marianne doing?" Kourtney wasn't surprised that word got around about Marianne and Paul's break up.

"Hopefully good," Kourtney said. She wasn't in the mood to discuss her best friend's break up.

"She'll be fine. I'm sure there are plenty of better guys in New York to replace Paul," Moni said.

"They were together for a good two years. He was her first love!"

"Yeah well, wasn't it the same with you and Alex?"

"What do you mean?" Kourtney asked. Hearing Alex's name didn't sting as much, but the reminder that her first love was finally gone from her life still hurt.

"I mean, you eventually moved on," Kayla said.

"What?" Kourtney asked again.

"Come on, Kourt! Everyone knows! Devin saw you!"

"What are you talking about?" Kourtney asked panicking.

"Devin saw you kissing some guy after practice."

"Really?" Christy asked. "Who is it?" Kourtney shook her head. "Come on, Kourt! I didn't know this! When was this? How did I miss this?"

"I know right? She's been keeping secrets from us!" Kayla said.

"It's nothing!"

"If you don't tell us, we'll go ask Devin!" Moni teased. "I think Devin mentioned it was right after her and Alex broke up!"

"Okay, seriously, we don't need to discuss this! It's nothing! I'm not seeing anyone!"

"But-"

"Kayla, drop it!" Christy said coming to Kourtney's defense. Kayla glared at Christy before turning on her heel and walking away. Moni followed suit.

"You alright?" Christy asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You seem…a little annoyed."

"Wouldn't you be with those two always talking in your ear?" Christy laughed.

"So…I want to ask you something."

"Yeah?" Kourtney asked as she started doing her stretches.

"You don't have to answer and if you do answer…no judgment here." Kourtney stopped and looked at Christy.

"This sounds serious." Christy looked at her in the eye.

"Was it Paul?" Kourtney only blinked in her surprise. "Was he the one you were kissing?" Kourtney said nothing. "Kourtney…" Christy began, disappointment evident in her voice.

"He kissed me," Kourtney whispered. She looked around to make sure no one could hear. "He was walking me to my car. Then he just hugged me. I thought he was playing around and suddenly there was just that moment where he looked at me and before I knew it, he kissed me."

Christy sighed.

"How does this play into their break up?"

"I don't know. Paul said he'd be the one to tell Marianne since it was his fault. But Marianne never mentioned it."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Kourtney couldn't answer and just shrugged.

"I know I should've-"

"Kourtney, do you have feelings for Paul?"

"What? No! He's a friend. That's all he is! I mean, maybe we got close this past summer with Alex and Marianne being gone… But I never hinted that I liked him more than just a friend!"

"Maybe he likes you as more than a friend…"

Kourtney shook her head.

"No, he can't!"

"So…are you going to tell Marianne now?" Kourtney shrugged again. "Well…maybe you shouldn't."

Kourtney looked at Christy in surprise.

"I mean, they've broken up… If you don't tell, I'm sure Paul won't tell. And as for the rumors…you can just say it was…some random guy? Like, I said, no judgment here."

"Thanks."

"But I know that doesn't help with the guilt."

"No, it doesn't."

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney couldn't ignore her cell phone ringing. She knew who it would be.

"Hey, Marianne," she answered.

"Kourt, I talked to Kayla-"

"Which I told you not to. Whatever she told you, it's just a rumor!"

"So you don't think he got some girl pregnant in Tacoma?"

"I don't even know where these rumors come from! Paul only went to Tacoma once over the summer."

"As far as you know," Marianne countered. Kourtney shook her head.

"Kayla is not the best person to believe, Marianne, you know that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just grasping at straws here. I really don't know what I did wrong to make Paul break up with me." Kourtney let her friend shed her tears.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Kourt, be honest, do you think Paul would cheat on me?" Kourtney was caught off guard. Her moment of silence moved Marianne into hysterical sobs.

"Marianne, I'm not the best person to ask. I mean, after the whole Alex thing…I'm just jaded."

"I'm sorry, Kourtney." Marianne laughed. "We picked the wrong guys, huh? Maybe I should've gone out with Brian instead of Paul." Kourtney forced a laugh. She couldn't get rid of the guilt eating away at her.

"Look, Marianne, I gotta go. I gotta get started on some homework."

"Oh right! Sorry!"

"No, don't me sorry! Just text me, alright?" Kourtney quickly got off the phone. She hated herself for lying to her best friend. She had so many chances to come clean, but she didn't take them. There was no turning back now. She had to keep her mouth shut and take her kiss with Paul to the grave.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney pulled into the school parking lot. As she scanned for a free space, her eyes saw the black pick-up. Paul jumped out of his truck. His back pack slung over one shoulder. She quickly circled the parking lot until she found a space to pull into. She grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. She watched as Paul bypassed his friends who were calling for him and went straight into the school. Kourtney hurried in after him.

"Paul!" she cried. She saw him slow his pace. His head turned slightly, but then snapped back to face forward.

"Paul!" she called again. Paul only picked up his pace. "Paul!" Kourtney sighed in frustration as Paul turned the corner, still not acknowledging her.

"Don't sweat it, Hunt," Brian called from his locker. "He's been blowing all of us off. Asshole."

Kourtney looked to see if Paul would come back to react, but Paul never came. She went to her locker.

"I'll see you at lunch, Kourt," Brian said. "Lahote better not sit with us."

"Bye, Brian," Kourtney said.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney walked out of her second class. She was making her way to her locker when she saw Paul walking with Kim. Kourtney felt a stab of jealousy. She felt like she had been replaced…as a friend, of course. Kourtney quickly ducked into the bathroom. She took a minute to calm herself down.

 _Why do you even care?_ Kourtney asked herself. _He broke up with your best friend and broke her heart. Not to mention he was a snake who kissed you._

Kourtney redirected her train of thought back to disliking Paul.

 _He's been gone for weeks and when he finally comes back, he ignores everyone he's ever been friends with, including you!_ Kourtney realized her pep talk wasn't helping her calm down. _Just let it go. He's not the same._

The warning bell rang. Kourtney stepped out of the bathroom and saw that the hallway was empty.

 _Shit, that was not the warning bell!_

Fortunately, she had Mr. Joseph who was very lax on tardies. Even so, she knew he would pick on her for the entire period.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Paul sat in his seat staring at the packets that Mr. Joseph gave him as his make-up work. Only the third class and Paul was already over school. He looked out the window, wishing he was out patrolling rather than sitting in school. He was already three weeks behind.

"Wow, look who's actually late to class," Mr. Joseph cried. Paul looked up and saw Kourtney walk in.

 _Great_ he thought.

He knew he would have a few classes with her, but he wasn't ready to even be in the same room as her. After all, she was the reason why he phased. He didn't know why hearing Alex talk bad about Kourtney gave him such a reaction.

Then it happened.

Kourtney's eyes caught his before he could look away. For a split second, he couldn't look away. In that split second, the confusion and resentment he held for Kourtney seemed to melt away. He felt his heart beat faster and his stomach turned in knots. For the first time since his phasing began, he didn't feel angry or upset. In that split second he spent staring into Kourtney's eyes, he was calm.

He felt normal again.

* * *

 **AN:** Eeekkk! **_FINALLY!_** Right? Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would love to hear your feedback! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

"Take your seat, Ms. Hunt." Kourtney broke eye contact with Paul, quickly taking the seat in front of her. It was the seat nearest to the door and farthest away from Paul. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt anxious with the way Paul stared at her. She felt her cheeks get hot just thinking about how his brown eyes bore intensely into hers.

"Ms. Hunt?" Kourtney jumped.

"Please pass the papers back," Mr. Joseph told her as he dropped a stack of papers in front of her.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she took a paper for herself then turned to hand it to the person behind her. She made sure not to look Paul's way.

"Are you okay?" Mr. Joseph asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're turning red. I hope I didn't embarrass you," Mr. Joseph joked. Kourtney covered her face and cursed her teacher in her mind. She liked Mr. Joseph but just hated him at that moment.

"I'm fine!" cried Kourtney. The whole class laughed.

"Alright, alright. No more picking on Ms. Hunt."

Kourtney uncovered her face. She gathered all her hair to the left side, making a sort of curtain between her and Paul. Even though she wasn't looking, she could feel his eyes still on her. Kourtney spent the entire class this way, making sure not to look too much to her left. She eyed the clock and was already packed up before the dismissal bell even rang. The second it did, she was up and out of her seat, making her way into the hall way.

"Kourtney!" she heard Paul call after her. _Now he wants to talk to me,_ she thought bitterly. This time she was the one ignoring him. She quickly navigated through the halls, making sure he couldn't catch up to her. As she turned the corner, she realized he was gaining on her. She ducked into the girls' locker room even though her next class was nowhere near there.

Kourtney waited until the warning bell rang before venturing out of the locker room. She made her way to her next class while praying that she didn't bump into Paul. Once she got to her class, her prayer changed to hoping Paul wasn't in the same class with her. Kourtney breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see Paul. She took her seat.

"Mr. Lowry, have you seen Mr. Lahote? I heard he was back." Kourtney groaned.

"Paul had to leave," Kim said. Everyone turned to look at Kim.

"Mr. Lahote left?" Mrs. Hurst asked. Kim nodded.

"Do you know why?" Kim shook her head. Mrs. Hurst clucked her tongue and began to write in her little binder. Kourtney was relieved once again.

For the rest of the day, Paul was nowhere to be found. Kourtney was thankful that she didn't have to run around the school trying to avoid bumping into Paul. She was at her locker gathering her books when Christy approached her.

"Hey, girl," Christy said leaning up against the locker beside Kourtney's.

"Hey."

"I notice you've been avoiding Paul."

"He's not here," Kourtney told her.

"Have you even talked to him?" Kourtney shook her head.

"I tried talking to him this morning, but he ignored me. I saw him ignore the other football players too. So I don't know what the hell is wrong with him."

"Whoa, settle down!" Christy joked.

"Sorry, it's just…he's been gone for weeks. Everyone's been concerned and he doesn't even think to say hi to any of us. Instead, I see him all buddy-buddy with your cousin-"

"Kim?"

"Do you have another cousin attending this school?" Kourtney snapped. Christy bit her lip, looking amused. "What?"

"Your attitude. I think you're jealous."

"Of what?"

"Of the fact that Paul was being 'buddy-buddy' with Kim and not you."

"Hah! Whatever. I couldn't care less. I don't even know why I'm so concerned about him. I shouldn't be." Christy nodded.

"Kourtney." Kourtney froze at the sound of Paul's voice. She looked at Christy who only gave her a smile.

"I'll see you later Kourtney." Kourtney pleaded with her eyes for Christy not to leave her. "Nice to see you again, Lahote!"

With that Christy flashed Kourtney another smile. Kourtney returned with a glare.

"Kourt," Paul began, his voice soft. Kourtney sighed and decided to finally face the music. She turned around to face Paul. Her eyes locked with his and the same feeling from earlier came to her. She felt her pulse quicken and her stomach just started to twist and turn.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. Paul looked surprised with her outburst. "Why did you break up with Marianne?" Paul looked away guiltily. "She's heartbroken, Paul! You didn't even give a good enough reason!" Paul sighed.

"I told her why. I'm just dealing with some things."

"Like what? Were you really sick this whole time?" Paul slowly nodded his head. "Are you okay?" Kourtney asked, not looking at him. The way he looked at her just unnerved her.

"I'm fine now. Thanks for asking."

"Marianne was really worried about you," Kourtney told him, glancing at him.

"I know," Paul said.

"Talk to her, please? She's devastated, Paul. Whatever it is you're going through…just try and work it out with her." Paul shook his head.

"I can't. At least…not anymore." The way he said the last sentence made Kourtney look up at him. Her heart was still pounding fast and she felt her breathing increase. She was starting to feel drawn to him. She opened her mouth to reply.

"Hi, Kourt!" Devin greeted. Paul looked annoyed at the interruption. "Hi, Paul! Nice to see you!"

"Get lost, Devin," Paul said.

"Uh, actually, I need to talk to you," Kourtney told Devin. "Now!"

She grabbed his arm and led him away from Paul. Once they were a good distance Kourtney began to talk.

"Devin, I know you saw me with someone at the parking lot a few weeks ago."

"I did," Devin smiled. His eyes looked over to Paul who was watching them intently.

"You know it was Paul, don't you?" Kourtney asked, her face paling when he nodded.

"But don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"

"Devin, please don't!"

"I won't!"

"You already told people about it," she pointed. "Rumors are already flying around, Devin!"

"I know, but I won't tell who it was, I promise!" Devin insisted. "I only told Alex because you were complaining about him not leaving you alone," he explained. Kourtney's anger slowly melted away. Devin had good intentions. "Did it work?"

Kourtney nodded.

"It did. He hasn't called me since. Thank you," she added with a smile.

"It was no problem! You're always nice to me even when you don't have to be."

"You're a good friend, Devin," Kourtney told him. Devin smiled.

"Well, I should get going. Coach doesn't like anyone being late! Don't worry about rumors, Kourtney! Just ignore them! That's what I do!" Kourtney gave an appreciative smile and waved at Devin. She turned to head back to her locker where Paul still stood, waiting for her. She took her time walking towards him. By the time she got to him, Kim was also there.

"Hey, Paul," she greeted. "Are you ready to go?" Kourtney looked from Kim to Paul.

"Actually, I was just-"

Kourtney walked through the space between them, grabbed her bag, and slammed her locker shut. She left without another word or even a glance back at Paul.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Paul was running as fast as his four legs would let him.

' _Don't blame Kim! She was doing what Sam asked,'_ Jared's voice said.

' _I didn't know he could command her too.'_

' _He can't!'_ Jared growled.

' _She didn't have to tell you about Kourtney either!'_ Paul said bitterly. Paul hated not having his thoughts to himself while he was wolf, he hated it even more that Kim was reporting everything that happened at school to Jared.

' _You imprinted on her! We were bound to find out sooner or later!'_ Paul concentrated on silencing his thoughts. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. _'Sam's waiting for you.'_

' _I know! Leave me the fuck alone. I don't need a babysitter.'_

' _Considering the fact that you almost phased outside of school, I think otherwise.'_

' _Maybe if your girlfriend didn't piss me off-'_ Paul began.

' _Maybe if you weren't a temperamental prick who can't control his-'_ Paul caught up with Jared and lunged at him, nipping him on his side. Jared let out a yelp. He growled and lunged back at Paul, using his paws to push him down. The two fought, growling and snarling at one another.

' _ENOUGH!'_ Jared and Paul immediately cowered down in front of Sam. Paul tried to fight it, but he knew he couldn't go against the alpha's command. _'Jared, go ahead and phase back.'_ Jared stood up on all fours then walked away. Sam and Paul waited until they were certain that Jared was no longer in his wolf form. _'So…you imprinted. On Kourtney?'_ Paul remained silent. _'I guess now we know why you phased the way you did. Do you know what this means, Paul?'_

' _She's my soulmate. She's the one I'm meant to be with.'_

' _Eventually. As of now, you just need to tread carefully. Your friendship with her was already strained before you imprinted on her, so I'm not sure how it'll get better. Just take it slow, Paul. Don't try to push or rush her.'_

' _I know. She hates me right now,'_ Paul said sadly.

' _Then wait. Wait for her. Wait until she's ready.'_

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

The rest of the quick flew by. Kourtney continued to ignore Paul and Paul seemed to give her the space she wanted. Although there were times she would catch him looking at her. He would eventually look away once their eyes met. Each time their eyes would meet, even if it was for a split second, Kourtney could feel her heart start beating rapidly. She would feel flush after making eye contact with him. It came to a point where Kourtney avoided looking or even turning his way anymore.

More drama unfolded as more rumors started about Paul. The fact that he had been eating lunch with Kim or by himself added fuel to the rumor fire. Marianne continually called Kourtney. It seemed she heard from Marianne more than ever.

" _Has Paul said anything?"_

"Nope," Kourtney answered. She held her cell phone up to her ear with her shoulder while she cut up some apples. "He's been avoiding me Marianne. He's been avoiding everyone."

" _Except Kim_."

"Yes, except her," Kourtney repeated. That still irked her.

" _I never knew they even talked!"_ Marianne cried.

"Apparently they do now. She said Paul talks to Jared, who happens to be her boyfriend."

" _Jared Cameron? Paul hated him, didn't he?"_

"Oh yeah," Kourtney remembered. Paul almost got into a fight with Jared a few times before. It seemed like their personalities just clashed.

" _What is going on with him_?" Marianne sighed _. "Kourt, try talking to him, please? He hasn't answered any of my calls or texts."_

Kourtney sighed. "Okay, I'll talk to him." She looked up as her older brother entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" Kourtney cried happily.

" _What's going on?"_

"Marianne, I gotta go. Cody's here!"

" _Oh, okay! I'll talk to you later! Tell your hot brother that I said hi and am newly single,"_ Marianne joked. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Bye!" She hung up her phone and ran to hug her brother.

"Surprise!" Cody said as he hugged back his little sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for homecoming week!"

"Of course. Don't visit for the summer, but visit for homecoming week!" Kourtney said, trying to guilt him.

"I had a lot going on this past summer!" Cody cried.

"Were they Lisa, Samantha, and Melanie?" Cody laughed.

"More like, McKenzie, Michelle, and Monique. I'm going alphabetical. Still on the M's."

"You're such a pig. Freaking man whore!"

"I'm just kidding! I had a chance at an internship that I couldn't pass up!" He took the last apple wedge and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. "So, what are your plans this weekend?"

"Practice," Kourtney said. "Homework. Practice."

"Ditch the practice, fuck the homework! Let's go do some fun stuff!"

"Alright, but if my captain punishes me for ditching-"

"I'll gladly take part in the punishment with you!" Cody said, simply.

"And if my teachers scold me for not having my homework done-"

"I'll come to school with you on Monday and distract them. Everyone loves it when I'm home!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes again. He was right though. During his years in high school, Cody was like the golden boy. He had straight A's and participated in every sport he could. He was the quarterback and dated (on and off) the same girl throughout high school.

"Sounds like a plan or what?" Kourtney smiled and nodded. She loved having her brother home.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Cody did as he told his sister. He eased the car into a parking space. Kourtney got out of the passenger's side. They weren't even three feet away from the school when someone called out Cody's name.

"Hunt!" Kourtney watched as the group of football players swarmed over to Cody.

"I'll see you inside!" Kourtney called. Nobody seemed to hear her. She entered the school and headed to her lockers. She saw that Kim was already at her own locker. Kourtney slowed down, not wanting to attract attention to her.

"Good morning, Kourtney!"

"Hi, Kim," Kourtney replied. She found it weird that Kim was greeting her more and more often.

"Did you have a good weekend?"

"Uh, I did. Cody flew in for homecoming week," Kourtney said, not looking at her.

"That's great!" Kourtney nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class!"

Kourtney fell guilty for not engaging in conversation with Kim. However, she was a bit suspicious as to why Kim was suddenly very friendly with her. Her morning classes were very uneventful. Just as Cody predicted, her teachers didn't mind that she didn't have her homework done. After all, having her big brother back home must have been very exciting for her. Paul was actually in school that day, but they continued to steer clear of one another. That is until lunch time. Kourtney stopped by her locker and saw that Paul was at his.

The two were quiet, each not acknowledging one another. They both looked up when they heard whooping and hollering. Kourtney rolled her eyes when she saw a group of freshmen. Homecoming week was a big deal around La Push and it was an even bigger deal for the freshmen. It was usually the new group of high school students that used Homecoming as an excuse to be extra annoying.

"Hi, Kourtney!" one of the boys yelled. Kourtney only gave a small smile. She didn't know his name, but she knew he was one of the football players' little brother. A little further down the hallway, Paul narrowed his eyes as he watched the group of freshmen converge towards Kourtney. He dropped his backpack and slowly made his way towards them.

"You have something on your hair," he heard one of the boys exclaim.

"What?" Kourtney asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Just this!" One of the boys produced a party popper and pulled the string causing Kourtney to scream. The other boys pulled out silly string and started covering Kourtney with it.

"Hey!" Paul cried out. The freshmen boys cowered back and ran away as Paul walked up to them.

"Stupid freshmen!" Kourtney yelled as she started pulling off the silly string. Paul was tempted to help, but kept his hands to himself. He didn't know where his friendship stood with Kourtney still. He watched in amusement as Kourtney struggled to pull off some more of the string and confetti. "You can help me out a little, you know."

Paul took that as permission to go near her. Paul started to help pick off the stuff from her hair. They both reached for the same string and their hands touched. Kourtney felt how warm his hands were. Paul quickly pulled away.

"Uh, thanks," Kourtney mumbled. "I got it." Paul nodded. The two stood awkwardly with Kourtney still trying to fix her hair.

Paul cleared his throat. "I, uh, I'll see you around, Kourt," he said. He turned to walk back to his locker. Kourtney watched him pick up his back pack then shut his locker. She saw he was on his way to the front doors of the school. _He's ditching again!_

"Paul!" she called, without a second thought. He stopped and looked at her. "Uh, can we talk?"

Paul seemed to think it over. He looked out through the front door then reversed his steps back to her.

"What's up?" he asked. Kourtney noticed how he spoke differently around her now. His voice was softer and didn't have the edge it usually had before.

"It's about Marianne," Kourtney began. Paul clenched his jaw. A hint of annoyance crossed his face. "How hard is it for you to just talk to her?"

"I gotta go. I don't have time for this," Paul told her.

"Where do you go?" Kourtney asked. Paul continued walking away which made Kourtney mad. She ran after him and stopped in front of him.

He seemed surprised. "Kourt-"

"Where the hell do you go when you ditch school? You're never here. What's so important that you don't even come to school?"

Paul didn't answer and he refused to look her in her eyes.

"I get you were sick, Paul. But what is going on with you?"

"It's nothing," Paul said.

"If it's nothing why not just tell me?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"It's nothing!" Paul yelled. Kourtney was taken aback by Paul's outburst.

"Paul!" Kourtney and Paul looked to see Jared standing in front of the doors to the school. "I was waiting for you. We need to go."

"Where-"

Paul walked away from Kourtney. Jared gave Kourtney a small nod before walking out of the school with Paul.

"What the hell was that about?" Kourtney stormed over to her locker. She didn't notice that Nate was now at his locker.

"Nothing." She stuffed her bag in and slammed it shut. Then she made her way to the cafeteria, not caring that she still had bits of confetti and string in her hair. Nate followed close behind her.

"What happened to you?" Cody asked as his sister approached. He was eating up the attention he was getting from all the football players and cheerleaders.

"Nothing," Kourtney said just as Nate answered with, "Lahote."

"Paul Lahote?" Cody asked. "What'd he do?"

"Nothing," Kourtney repeated. "Just being a jerk."

"Fuck him, Kourtney," Brian said from across the table. "He thinks he's too good for us or something."

"What's going on with him?" Cody asked Brian.

"He turned into an arrogant prick."

"He's always been arrogant," Kyle said.

"Yeah, he just a straight up asshole now."

Despite being angry at him, Kourtney felt bad that his former friends were not talking bad about him.

"What happened?" Christy asked, leaning close to Kourtney.

"Nothing," Kourtney repeated. "I just tried talking to him. He yelled at me."

"What? Why?"

Kourtney shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care. I don't even know why I bothered. He and I have no reason to be friends anymore."

"Kourt, you don't mean that. He's been a good friend to you. I mean, aside from…what happened, I'm sure you guys can fix things."

Kayla picked at her food. She wasn't paying attention to anything but the conversation that was taking place in front of her. She was very observant when she was quiet. Kourtney seemed upset with Paul. Kayla also noticed how the two friends were avoiding each other in the hallways. Kayla's mind started going to work. First, Kourtney was seen kissing a mystery guy. Then Paul just so happens to break up with Marianne. Now there was some sort of tension between them. Kayla smiled to herself. She had a bit of digging to do. After all, the Homecoming dance was only a few days away. It would be a great setting to stir up some drama.

* * *

 **AN:** A little long, but hopefully it'll tie you all over. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Stay safe!


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** I guess one more short chapter won't hurt. ;)

* * *

"What the hell was that about?" Jared asked once he and Paul were out on the school parking lot.

"I'll meet you at Emily's," was all Paul said. He shoved his backpack onto Jared. He took off his shirt and flung it on Jared before taking off towards the forest. Once in the forest, Paul easily phased into a wolf. \

' _What's going on, Paul?'_ Paul replayed his entire conversation with Kourtney. Paul could hear Sam sigh.

' _Maybe you should stay home for the rest of the week.'_

' _I'm not missing anymore classes, Sam!'_

' _You mean school is the only time you get to see Kourtney.'_ Paul didn't reply. Sam was right. Paul didn't care so much for school anymore. All he wanted was to see Kourtney and be near her.

' _I need to tell her Sam,'_ Paul pleaded.

' _No! You will not tell her!'_ Paul felt the alpha command stick in his mind.

' _Damn it!'_

' _Paul, you need to control your phasing. Obviously whatever is going on with you and Kourtney is affecting your emotions. You can't be near here.'_

' _Sam you know I need to be!'_

' _Then prove to me that you can be around her and other people and still be able to keep your phasing in check! I can't keep sending Jared to your school to check on you! I need help with patrolling the treaty line especially with Charlie Swan's daughter hanging around the Cullens!'_

Paul got even more angry with the mentioning of the Cullens. It was their fault he was what he was. Sure it was in his genes, but it wouldn't have been triggered if the leeches hadn't been around. Paul heard Sam sigh again.

' _Take over for me. Obviously you're too worked up to phased back.'_ With that Paul was left to his own thoughts again.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

It was Friday, the last day of homecoming week and the day of the homecoming game. Paul obeyed Sam's orders of staying home from school, but he practically bugged Sam and Jared about being able to be in school just for that day. Classes were all shortened and crammed into the beginning half of the day. The students would then be treated to a special lunch provided by River's Edge Restaurant before filing into the gym for the pep rally.

' _He just wants to see Kourtney in those short cheerleading skirts,'_ Jared teased.

' _Does Kim know you've been looking at the cheerleaders in their short skirts?'_ Paul asked.

' _Alright, that's enough. Fine Paul, you can go. Jared and I will stop by during the pep rally._ '

Paul took extra time to get ready for school. He even styled his now shorter hair. Gone was the Mohawk. Instead, his hair was cut a little short, yet he was still able to style it into some spikes. He pulled a black T-shirt one paired with jeans. He debated on wearing his Letterman jacket, but decided against it. He wasn't on the team anymore. He did decide to wear a red and white long sleeve polo on top. At least he was showing some type of school spirit. After putting on his shoes, he got into his truck and drove off to school.

Paul took the first space he saw, which was the one farthest from the school. He grabbed his backpack and made his way towards the school.

"Hi, Paul!" Kayla greeted. Paul only nodded at her. He groaned as she ran to catch up with him. "I'm surprised you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Because you're never at school." Paul remained quiet. "So, I see you didn't forget your school spirit at home!"

Paul laughed. "What do you want, Kayla?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Because you're talking to me. And because you're being nice to me."

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I don't know what happened, but it must be hard breaking up with someone you've been together with for two years."

Paul glared at Kayla. He started breathing deeply and counting in his head.

"Are you okay?" Kayla asked. Her eyes widened as she realized what Paul was doing.

"Just leave me alone Kayla."

"You really are an ass," Kayla told him as she pushed past him. Paul clenched his jaw. He never really cared for Kayla, but her comment stung. He knew what people were saying about him. It frustrated him that he couldn't say why he was distancing himself. Paul sighed. Maybe going to school on the day of his favorite school even was a bad idea.

As if to prove his point, Paul saw Brian up ahead, clad in his letterman jacket. Paul could make out the QB pin. It should've been his. It was just another reminder of how much his life had changed a month ago. He saw all the football players grouped on the benches in front of the school. It was known as the usual hang out spot for the football players and the cheerleaders. He scanned for Kourtney's familiar face and realized that she wasn't there yet. He took a second to scan the parking lot for her car. "Oh my God!" he heard Kayla scream. Paul didn't care to look, but once he heard the football players yelling, too, he turned his head.

What he saw was enough to make his blood boil. There in the middle of the group he used to be in, stood none other than Alex Skye. He felt himself start to shake. He should've left right then and there, but he didn't want to prove Sam wrong. He could control his anger. He could control his emotions. He could control his phasing. Paul started breathing in and out. He counted in his head again. He kept telling himself not to phase. Fortunately for Paul, the group made their way into the school. He waited a couple minutes more before walking in himself.

"Lahote!" Paul froze. He gritted his teeth. "How you doing, bro?"

Paul turned around to see Alex walking up to him. He saw everyone staring.

"Alex," Paul said, giving a nod. Due to his growth spurt, he now stood a good six inches taller than Alex. It was enough to make Paul feel better. "Didn't know you were coming home."

"Yeah, I thought I'd make it a surprise," Alex said. "Surprised? Caught off guard?"

Paul narrowed his eyes at him. Alex did the same. He took a step closer to Paul then stopped. He attention quickly moved to something behind Paul. His eyes lit up. Turning back to Paul, he smiled. "See you around, Lahote," Alex said, patting him on the shoulder. Paul gave a growl. He walked over to his locker, the other football players seemed to disperse around him as he passed. He was in the middle of opening his locker when he heard Alex.

"Surprise, babe!" Alex called. Paul looked up just in time to see Kourtney was stop in her tracks. She had just walked through the front doors. Her mouth hung open in surprise and her eyes were wide. Paul watched as Alex made his way to Kourtney and hugged her. Paul found little comfort in seeing that Kourtney didn't hug him back. He clenched his fists. He hated how the cheating asshole even dared to touch Kourtney after hurting her.

Alex continued to embrace Kourtney. Paul felt his stomach turn as he saw Alex whispering in Kourtney's ear. He felt like he was going to throw up. Paul felt himself start to shake, real violent real quick. He slammed his locker shut and ran out the doors, briefly making eye contact with Kourtney.

He sprinted across the road and towards the forest. He flung his backpack to the side and started to take off his polo then his shirt. He quickly stripped off his shoes then his pants. He phased, his boxers ripping in the process.

' _Not even eight o'clock,'_ came Jared's voice. _'Told you!'_

' _Paul!'_ Sam's voice boomed. Paul quickly shared what happened.

' _Oh shit! That fucking asshole is back?'_

' _Jared!'_

' _Sorry! But…damn! I don't blame you for phasing, Paul!'_

' _Use all that energy and go patrol the border,'_ Sam ordered Paul.

' _Can I take off then?'_ Jared asked.

' _Yeah, I'll see you at the pep rally later.'_

' _You guys are still going?'_ Paul asked angrily.

' _Yes. Cody's back and we were both asked to show up to represent our class.'_

' _And I told Kim I'd be there already.'_

Paul cursed.

' _If you calm down enough, maybe you can go to the game later on tonight,'_ Sam offered.

' _See ya!'_ Jared said before phasing out. Paul saw Sam's thought about his situation with Kourtney. Paul could see that he felt bad for him. Soon, Sam phased out too.

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~.

Paul spent the rest of the day patrolling. Jared phased in after the pep rally. Paul took some time to phase back. He ran into his house to put some clothes on. Sam was able to drive Paul's truck back home. Now, Paul needed to get back to the school to retrieve the backpack and clothes he tossed in the forest. He was walking towards his car when a yellow SUV pulled up behind his truck.

"Lahote," Alex called as he stepped out.

"What do you want?" Paul asked, holding his ground and crossing his arms.

"I didn't get a chance to really talk to you earlier," Alex explained. He made his way to Paul. He stopped when he was a good distance. "I see you've been hitting the gym. Is that where you were instead of being at school or practice with the guys?"

"What do you want, Skye?" Paul asked again.

"Can't say hi to my _best_ friend?" Alex said with a shrug.

"I don't see any of your best friends around here."

"You're really going to throw away our friendship because of your little crush on Kourtney?" Paul narrowed his eyes at him. Alex laughed. "Alright then. Well, Lahote, I just wanted to let you know, I'm gonna win her back."

Paul smirked. "You fucked another girl, Alex. Kourtney doesn't want anything to do with you."

"You don't think I can change that?" Paul's tough demeanor wavered. "We were together two years, Paul. I was her first love. That's something you can't just forget."

Alex's words worried Paul.

"She doesn't want you," was all Paul could say.

"And you think she wants you?" Alex asked. He scoffed. "You broke up with Marianne, her best friend. You broke her best friend's heart, man. You think she'll just turn her back on her best friend? She's not like you. She's loyal like that."

With that, Alex turned and got back in his truck. He gave a wave before driving away. Needless to say, Paul was back in the forest.

' _Damn it, Paul. What now?'_

' _I guess I'm passing on the homecoming game tonight,'_ he told his alpha.


	11. Chapter 11

The gym of La Push High School was packed with all, if not, most of its students. It was the homecoming dance, the last event to wind down homecoming week. Seeing that it was their last homecoming dance, the seniors were determined to make it fun. They all were in the middle of taking shots in the parking lot when Kourtney arrived with her friends.

"Saved some for you lovely ladies!" Brian called as he began pouring some shots. Kourtney instantly refused. "That's right, I'm sure you had plenty last night."

Everyone laughed. After last night's game, they all headed to Brian's house for a little senior party. As usual, Brian was prepared with beer and liquor. Kourtney a few beers initially, but soon found herself taking shots with her classmates. It was something she regretted, not because of the hangover she experienced the next morning, but because of her poor choice of making out with Alex.

Now the smell of liquor just reminded her of how Alex's lips tasted. She shuddered.

"I'll meet you guys inside," she said. She started to walk away from her group just as she saw Alex's yellow SUV pull in. She forgot that Alex invited himself to the dance. She hurried into the gym.

Kourtney didn't have to wait long. Her friends all slowly trickled in and they moved to the dance floor. Kourtney's fun was stopped when the transitioned into a slow song.

Kourtney took a seat at a table and watched as her friends all coupled up with their dates. She was the only one who didn't have a date. Kourtney crossed her arms when she saw Alex approaching her from the other side of the room.

He stopped in front of her and offered his hand. He gave her a smile. "One dance won't hurt, Kourtney." Still she didn't take his hand. "Just this one dance and I won't ask for the rest of the night." Kourtney ignored him and continued to look around the room. "I promise."

"Your promises don't really mean shit to me, Alex," Kourtney said. Alex sighed. He took a seat next to her.

"I didn't say you could join me either."

"Kourtney, come on. Stop playing games," Alex told her

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't seem to mind me being right next to you last night."

Kourtney felt herself shudder. "Alex stop! We were both drunk last night, okay? That kiss last night did not mean anything!"

"From what I remember, it was more than just a kiss." Kourtney glared at him even though he was right. It had started as a kiss…which eventually led to them in Alex's SUV. Fortunately, Kourtney overcame her drunkenness, came to her senses, and put a stop to things before they went too far.

"Whatever, Alex. It didn't mean anything and it still doesn't make me change my mind!" Kourtney stood up and Alex did too. He stood in her way.

"Kourtney, please, listen! Tell me what I have to do to get you to give me another chance!" Alex pleaded. "I will stop this whole dance, get on my knees, and beg you to take me back. Just say the word!"

"No! Don't do that!"

"Then tell me what I have to do," Alex asked again. He closed the distance between them. His hands found their way to her waist.

"One dance," Kourtney said. "That's all you get Alex. After that, just let it go."

Alex felt like his heart had been crushed. He nodded in agreement to Kourtney's terms. From across the room, he saw a tall figure make their way into the dimmed gymnasium. _Paul_. Seeing his former best friend at the dance reignited a fire inside Alex. He wasn't going to give up fighting for Kourtney and he was determined to hurt Paul in the process.

"Can I take that dance now?" Kourtney nodded. As he led Kourtney to the dance floor, he caught eyes with Paul. He gave him a smirk. Alex was surprised when Paul only smiled back.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

If Paul hadn't heard Alex's conversation with Kourtney, he would've been very upset and angry at the sight of them heading to the dance floor. Thanks to one of the perks of being a shape shifter, he heard every single word loud and clear. He wanted to laugh at the look on Alex's face when Paul merely smiled back at his smirk.

"Where's the food at?" Jared asked as he appeared beside him. Paul shrugged.

"Where's Kim?"

"Bathroom, freshening up," Jared answered. He scanned the room and saw three tables pushed up against the wall. He pointed them out to Paul. "Bingo!" The two friends made their way to the food tables. Once they got to the tables, Jared started snacking on all the food. The slow song ended and the dancefloor became more lively with the next song. Paul scanned the dance floor to see where Kourtney and Alex were. He frowned when he didn't find them. .

"Hi, Jared!" Moni greeted as she approached the two tall guys. "Hi, Paul!" She gave them a smile. Jared barely glanced in her direction and Paul just offered a nod of acknowledgment.

"I wasn't expecting you two to be here," she said. "Wanna dance?"

"Sorry, I'm saving all the dances for my girlfriend," Jared simply told her. Moni turned her eyes to Paul.

"Paul?"

"Uh…sorry, Moni. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Then later?" she asked. Paul saw Kourtney and Alex enter the gym again. He wondered where they'd gone.

"Sure," he said distractedly. Moni smiled and moved away.

"You know you just promised her a dance right?" Jared asked.

"Huh?" Jared smiled. He clapped Paul's shoulder. "Alright, man. Behave! Kim and I are gonna hit the dancefloor!"

Jared swooped Kim into his arms just as she was walking towards them. Kim let out a giggle. Paul rolled his eyes. He leaned back against the wall, turning his attention back to Kourtney and Alex.

"Paul! What's up man?" Nate said. "Surprised to see you here!"

Paul smiled. Nate was one of the other football players Paul got along well with.

"Yeah, I missed out on yesterday so I thought I could make it up tonight," Paul replied. Pretty soon Paul was engaged in conversation with Nate. It was too long before a few of the other players joined their conversation. Paul was able to talk and joke around with his former friends like the good old times. He was beginning to think that maybe he could balance being a shifter and hanging out with his old friends. There was no reason why he couldn't spend time with his friends at school. Once school was out, he could focus on his shifting responsibilities. Paul felt good about his plan. He glanced back across the room and saw that Kourtney and Alex were still talking. With the look on Kourtney's face, he could tell she wasn't happy.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"Alex, no. You hurt me! Do you not understand that?" Kourtney said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"I do! And I will make it up to you, babe."

"I'm not your 'babe.'"

"Okay, fine. Kourtney, I will make everything up to you."

"You slept with another girl," Kourtney cried.

"It was one time and it was a mistake!"

"Just one mistake is all it takes to ruin trust! I can't trust you! I don't want to be questioning you every damn second we're apart or even together!"

"Alright, you want to talk about questioning one another? What about you and Lahote?" Paul's ears perked up when he heard his name. He zoned out from his conversation with Brian and tuned into Kourtney and Alex's.

"What about us?" Kourtney asked. She suddenly was on edge.

"You know there were so many times I thought that something was going on between you two-"

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"It pissed me off, it drove me crazy! But I guess I was just jealous that he was able to spend all that time with you. I was missing you, alright? I know you missed me too. I mean…like last night…"

Kourtney shook her head. "I told you, that was a stupid drunken mistake!" Paul's mind began to fill with questions about what could have happened the night before.

"You missed me, Kourtney. Admit it."

Kourtney shook her head. "I didn't Alex. I mean, I may have in the beginning. But I don't want to be with someone who can just hurt me like that."

Kourtney began to walk away.

"I have a right to be mad and hurt, too, okay?" Alex called. Kourtney stopped then face him. "You didn't even give me a chance to try and work things out with you and you just break up with me like that! Then, not even two days later you're caught making out in the parking lot."

Kourtney felt her heart stopped. She looked down in shame.

"I guess you have a thing for making out with guys in their cars huh?" Alex said. The hurt and frustration was getting to him and he dealt a low blow.

"What happened with me and Paul was a lot different-"

"Paul?" Kourtney looked up and saw confusion on Alex's face. "Did you just fucking say Paul?" Kourtney realized her slip-up; Alex didn't know it was Paul. "Fucking liar. Where is he?"

"Alex! Wait!" Alex ignored her and walked away to look for Paul. It didn't take long for him to see Paul talking with his friends.

"Lahote!" Paul turned upon hearing Alex call him. He narrowly missed the punch that Alex threw. He saw Jared make his way from the dance floor. Paul held his hand up to stop him. "You fucking liar! You fucking kissed Kourtney! You were the one!"

Alex grabbed Paul by the collar of his shirt. It didn't look or feel as intimidating as he thought seeing that Paul now stood a good few inches above him. Jared grabbed hold of Alex and pulled him back. The pull sent him stumbling backwards into the crowd that had formed.

"Let's go, Paul!" Jared yelled, pushing Paul into the crowd. Kourtney was aware that people were now looking at her.

"You kissed Paul!" Moni exclaimed.

"No, I-"

"I knew it!" Kayla cried. "I knew I wasn't imagining you two getting close! No wonder things got weird between you! Does Marianne know?"

Kourtney turned to leave. Tears were stinging her eyes and her face was probably as red as her dress.

"Is that why Paul broke up with her?" Kourtney tried her best to ignore the question even though it was one that she constantly wondered. She ran out the door of the gym and ran towards the parking lot.

"Kourt!" Alex called after her. She kept running as best as she could in her heels. "Kourtney!" Alex grabbed Kourtney and spun her to face him. She looked shocked about what he did. Alex didn't seem to care or even notice, he looked angry. "You cheated on me with Paul? Is that what was going on?"

"No! I didn't! It happened after we broke up! You were the one who cheated on me, Alex!"

"Then you run to my best friend for comfort!"

"No! I had nothing to do with that! He kissed me!" Alex shook his head.

"That's the reason he broke up with Marianne, isn't it? Because you and I broke up and suddenly you were free."

"You're ridiculous!" Kourtney shook her head and started to move away. Alex grabbed her arm again. "Alex!"

"You know he liked you first?" Kourtney stopped fighting his grip.

"What?"

"When you two first met, he only introduced himself because he wanted to ask you out. Did you know that? Do I sound ridiculous now?" Alex let go of Kourtney's arm. "For all we know, he could've still liked you even after we started going out. Maybe even after he and Marianne got together. Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if he still had feelings for you now!"

By this point, Alex was shouting. Kourtney felt scared. She saw that several people made their way from the dance to the parking lot to see more of the drama unfold.

"That doesn't change anything, Alex," Kourtney finally said in a quiet voice. "You still cheated on me. You still broke my trust. You still hurt me. You scarred me, Alex. Honestly, seeing you act like this isn't helping either." Kourtney tried to back away, but Alex took a step closer.

"Alex!" Kourtney and Alex both stopped. They turned to see Paul walking towards them. Gone was his button down polo. Instead, he was shirtless and wearing a pair of cargo shorts. "Get the fuck away from her!"

"Lahote! What are you doing here? Came to try and win Kourtney over?"

"You're scaring her," Paul told him. Paul set himself between them. "Go home, Kourt," Paul told her without looking at her. His eyes remained on Alex. Kourtney was unsure of what to do. She slowly backed away.

"Kourtney, we're not done!" Alex cried. He tried to move past Paul, but Paul held his ground. Alex stumbled a few steps back. He gave a laugh. "You think you're all tough now, Lahote? What'd you do to get like that? You getting into drugs now?"

"Alex, stop!" Kourtney said. She only made it a few steps away.

"It's all you can do, right Paul? Can't even graduate from high school right, so what else is left for you?"

"Alex, enough!" Kourtney walked back towards the two.

"Paul!" Jared appeared out of nowhere. His attire from the dance was gone and he was sporting a zip up hoodie and cargo pants as well. Kourtney noticed that he was shirtless under the hoodie.

"Oh, look, it's your new buddy!" Alex laughed. "Your body guard is here to save you." Jared placed a hand on Paul and stood between the two guys.

"Just stop this shit," Jared told them both. "Paul, go home! Alex, get your ass back inside!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Alex pushed Jared into Paul. Paul immediately lunged towards Alex, this time he had him by the collars.

"Your fight is with me," Paul growled. Kourtney saw Brian come out of the school. This prompted some of the students to pour out to witness the fight closer.

"Guys, stop!" Kourtney cried. The two guys didn't pay her any attention. "Paul, just leave!" Paul clenched his jaw. Then he slowly loosened his grip on Alex and took a step back.

"That's right, Lahote. Leave!"

"You, too, Alex. Just get back to the dance."

"We still need to talk," Alex told her.

"There is nothing left to talk about, Alex! I do not want you back." Kourtney no longer felt guilty as she saw the pained expression in Alex's face. Alex looked up at her, then his eyes darted to Paul. The pain all went away and was quickly replaced by anger.

"Wipe that smug look off your face, asshole!" Jared grabbed Kourtney just as Alex lunged across her to Paul. Kourtney instinctively took hold of Alex.

"Stop it!" Kourtney felt herself falling back. She felt the ground beneath her and pain shot up from her hand and wrist. She cried out in pain and cradled her right wrist with her left hand.

"Kourtney!" Paul cried hearing her pained cry. Alex took that second of distraction to punch him. Paul's head snapped to the right and Alex clutched his hand, shouting out obscenities.

"You alright man?" Brian asked, coming to Alex's side.

"Everybody back inside!" a voice boomed. It caught everyone's attention. Sam Uley strode across the parking lot towards them. "Jared, get Paul out of there!" Jared pushed Paul away.

"Kourtney," she heard him mutter.

"I'll take care of her!" Sam told him firmly. "You two, beat it." Brian pulled Alex away, but was shrugged off.

"Kourt-" Alex began. Sam stepped in front of him to keep him from coming closer to Kourtney.

"I said beat it." Alex avoided Sam's gaze and walked back to the school. The crowd slowly dispersed. Sam gently brought Kourtney up.

"Let's get you to the hospital."

"I'm fine," Kourtney said.

"Just to be sure," Sam said. He led Kourtney down the parking lot and opened the door to his SUV. He helped her climb in before shutting the door. He got to the driver's side and took off for the hospital. They didn't exchange a single word during the drive.

Kourtney knew Sam through her older brother. They were friends during high school then Cody went off to Miami for college. They never kept in touch, but they had the kind of friendship where they didn't need to keep in touch. Whenever Cody visited, he would see Sam and they would go on like they were still good friends.

Once in the hospital, Kourtney didn't have to wait long to be seen. Her mother was working the shift that night and was able to get one of the doctors to see her right away. Fortunately it was just a sprained wrist. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to participate in cheerleading until it was healed.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"What happened?" Cody asked the second he spotted Kourtney in the waiting room with Sam.

"Just a little accident," Kourtney told him.

"That doesn't tell me anything," he told her.

"It's just a sprain. I'll live. Until Leslie finds out and kills me." Cody looked at Sam.

"A fight almost broke out at the dance," Sam explained to him. Kourtney frowned at Sam. She should've known he would tell her brother. "Kourtney was just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Cody nodded.

"Thanks for taking care of her, man."

"No problem," Sam said shaking his hand. "Good night, Kourtney. Take care of yourself." Kourtney nodded.

"Thanks, Sam."

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

As the pulled up, Kourtney saw a figure sitting at the front steps. Having only two people in mind on who it could be, she was surprised when she saw that it was Jared.

"Jared," Kourtney said. He nodded in response.

"Hey, Cody," he greeted. Cody nodded then looked at Kourtney.

"I'll be in. Just give me a second." Cody sized Jared up one last time before retreating to the house.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, Paul asked me to come on his behalf to apologize for what happened earlier. He also asked me to see if you were okay." Kourtney sighed and didn't say anything. "He really wanted to see you himself, but I told him he needed to cool off a bit."

"Tell him I'm fine." Jared eyed her wrist that was bandaged up. "It's just a sprain. It'll heal." Jared nodded.

"I'll let him know." Kourtney thanked him and started for the steps. "You know," Jared called making Kourtney stop to turn around. "Paul really cares for you. He cares about you. I should know, it's like I can read his mind or something." Jared smiled and chuckled to himself. "Trust me, he genuinely cares about you."

"Good to know," Kourtney said. "Good night, Jared." Jared gave a wave and started to walk away.

Kourtney continued up the remaining steps and entered the house. She made her way to the stairs when her brother appeared at the doorway of the living room.

"Paul?" he asked, leaning against the frame and crossing his arms. "Is he the one who hurt you?" Kourtney shot him a look. "What? A guy can't look after his baby sister?" Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Paul and Alex got into a fight. I was just trying to stop them."

"What were they fighting about?"

"I don't know," Kourtney lied. "Some guy thing. I'm gonna go get ready for bed."

* * *

 **AN:** I hope you enjoyed! Starting this week I will be working on this fanfiction as well as another one simultaneously so updates for this fanfiction may slow down. I will say though, seeing feed back motivates me! I love reading reviews and seeing all the interest this fanfic has generated!


	12. Chapter 12

**A: Can we talk?**

Kourtney deleted the message and continued with getting ready. She was headed to Forks with her family to grab lunch before dropping off Cody at the airport. Kourtney enjoyed having her brother back and was sad to see him go.

Kourtney's phone rang. Alex's number flashed on the screen. Kourtney rejected the call. After finishing up with her hair, she grabbed her coat and headed downstairs.

"Sweetie, you have visitor." Kourtney walked to the front door and saw Alex walking up the walkway.

"Thanks, Dad," she said as she stepped out onto the porch. She couldn't believe he was there. Didn't he get the hint?

"Five minutes, Kourtney," her dad told her. Kourtney nodded and walked down the walkway to meet Alex.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms. His eyes went down to her wrist. He opened his mouth, but Kourtney cut him off. "Don't apologize. What do you want?"

Alex sighed.

"I just want a civil conversation, please. No fighting, no arguing, and no one interrupting us."

"Alex…"

"Kourtney, I know. I cheated. I messed up. You don't trust me. I get it. But I still love you Kourtney. I just want us to talk and see where it goes from there. If in the end, you're still not convinced, then I'll let it go. I'll let you go. I'll let the idea of us ever getting back together go."

Kourtney thought carefully on what to do. Her mind was made up that she was not going to give Alex another chance. At the same time, maybe a talk would be good closure for Alex, and for her.

"Well, we're all headed to Forks for lunch. Then we're taking Cody to the airport," Kourtney told him.

"We can meet afterwards. Say, six o'clock?"

"Okay."

"Will dinner at River's Edge work?"

"This isn't a date, Alex," Kourtney reminded him.

"I know. Just a dinner with civil conversation between two friends." He smiled at her. "I'll see you later Kourt."

Kourtney still had doubts whether or not Alex would keep his word about letting her go, but what else could he do to try and win her back? As far as she knew, he was back on a plane to Los Angeles the following morning. She wouldn't have to see him again, unless he decided to visit again.

"What was that about?" Cody asked, stopping beside his sister. He watched Alex drive away.

"Nothing, just making plans with him," Kourtney told him. She heard her parents in front of the house. Her dad disarmed their truck and she started to walk towards it.

"They weren't fighting over you, were they?" Cody asked, following close to his sister.

"No!"

"That's not what I heard."

"Since when do you listen to rumors?"

"Well, as much as they suck. There is always some truth in a rumor. So is it true that you got those two knuckleheads fighting over you?"

"Alex cheated on me," Kourtney told him, hoping he'd drop it.

"What?! Little fucker! I never liked him!" Cody exclaimed. Kourtney rolled her eyes and then smiled.

"You never like anyone I like."

"For good reason! They're never good enough for my little sister," Cody said. Kourtney gave her brother a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you!"

"I'll be back, Kourt! Christmas break is like two months away!"

"Yeah, well, after last night I have a feeling I'll be needing some new friends."

"You'll be fine. Just fuck them. Fuck everyone!"

"Cody! Language!" Their mom cried. Cody smiled apologetically.

"Worry about yourself! Be selfish!"

"Sorry, I'm not you," Kourtney said. She got in the car.

"Cody, sweetie, why don't you go ahead and sit in front with your dad?"

Cody agreed and climbed onto the front seat. Kourtney felt disappointed. She hoped she could talk more with her big brother before he left. She was anxious about the fallout from the homecoming dance.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

The ride back home was quiet. Even the radio was turned down low. Kourtney spent the quiet time thinking about the events of the previous night. Everyone now knew. They knew that it was Paul that she was kissing in the parking. It didn't even matter that it was Paul who instigated the kiss.

Kourtney was continually looking at her phone, seeing if there were any texts or calls from Marianne. She was still in disbelief that her best friend still hadn't called, she was certain Kayla or Moni would have gladly broken the news to her. Kourtney didn't know what she would say. Marianne was still hurting over her break up with Paul. Hearing that he kissed Kourtney while they were still together would kick her even more down. Add to the fact that neither she nor Paul admitted to it, Kourtney felt like the worst best friend ever.

Kourtney sighed. She didn't even want to get started on thinking about Paul and what Alex revealed. Paul had liked her, or at least seemed interested in her, from the very start. Thinking about how good of a friend he was to her, Kourtney began to question if Alex was right about him still liking her. Kourtney continued to look out the window. She zoned out at the trees that they passed by. Soon the trees cleared up and she could see the ocean appearing. The sun's reflection lit up the water. She wondered how cold the water was now. It was the second day of October and she could already feel the temperature dropping in the air.

Kourtney continued to admire the ocean. She saw a familiar cliff coming up. It was the cliff that everyone jumped off of at one point if they grew up in La Push. She sat up when she saw three figures at the cliff right beside it. The cliff that the three people were on was the highest of the cliffs. Kourtney never heard of anyone even attempting to dive off of that cliff.

As her dad continued on the road, the closer they got. Kourtney still couldn't make out who the people were even as the car passed by. Kourtney looked back and saw a familiar black pick-up. Kourtney felt her chest get heavy. 44

"Dad! Drop me off at First Beach!"

"Kourtney, it's too cold for a swim," her mom said.

"I forgot I was supposed to meet my friends there!"

"Kourtney the sun is setting- Jerry!" Kourtney beamed as her dad gave her a wink in the rear view mirror. It took only a few more minutes for her dad to pull into the small parking lot of First Beach.

"I don't see anyone here, Kourtney," her mother said, clearly not happy. She was right. Kourtney scanned the beach and up the cliffs and she saw no one.

"I'm early," Kourtney quickly said as she scrambled out.

"Be home for dinner, sweetie," her dad told her.

"How are you even getting home?" her mom asked.

"Uh, I'll catch a ride with one of my friends!" Kourtney stood and waved as her dad reversed out of the parking spot and drove off. Once they were out of sight, Kourtney ran towards the cliff.

"Paul?!"

Kourtney looked around and didn't see a sign of them anywhere. She went back to Paul's truck. She got up on the step to look in, making sure he wasn't hiding from her as a joke.

"Looking for me?" Paul asked. He was walking up to her, water still rolling down his skin. Kourtney's eyes traveled down his body. She had seen Paul shirtless before; the players practically took off their shirt at one point or another during practice, but it was evident that Paul's body had changed. His muscles were more prominent and sculpted.

Paul cleared his throat, making Kourtney look back up at his face. He had a smirk on. Kourtney quickly made a move to hit his arm. It was a second too late when she realized she used her dominant hand which was also her injured wrist. "Ow! Damn it!" Kourtney cried. She held onto her wrist.

"Are you okay? Shit, I'm sorry!" Paul cried, hurrying over to her.

"I'm okay."

"Do you need to go back to the hospital?"

"I'm okay!" she cried still holding her hand. "What the hell were you doing up cliff diving?"

"You do it too," Paul reminded her.

"Not from the highest cliff! Are you crazy? You could seriously hurt yourself!"

Paul gave her an amused smile.

"Like I said, I'm fine. I'm practically indestructible." Kourtney rolled her eyes. Paul laughed. "I'm glad that you were worried about me though."

"I wasn't worried! I was…supposed to meet my friends here and I happened to see your truck as I passed by…" Kourtney lied. At that moment Kourtney wondered why she had the urge to see if Paul was okay the second she saw his truck. Paul only continued to smile at her. She wondered why he was so smiley despite everything that happened at the dance.

"Okay, Superman. I'm gonna go."

"I thought you were meeting your friends," he said, crossing his arms. Kourtney tried her best not to stare at his arms, but she did notice the tattoo on his upper right arm.

"Is that new?" Paul looked down at his arm.

"Oh, yeah. Just a little ink," he said with a shrug.

"Doesn't Jared have something like that?"

"I don't know, I don't look at his arms," Paul replied with a smirk. Kourtney gave him a look.

"I need to go." She started to walk away.

"Need a ride?" Paul asked, as he opened his driver side door. Kourtney was about to decline. "Or you can just walk in the rain."

Kourtney looked up. The clouds were darker than before and sure enough, Kourtney felt the tiny droplets hitting her skin.

"I guess I'll take the ride," she said as she made her way around to the passenger's side. She got in just as Paul turned the engine on. She felt a blast of cold air hit her.

"It's cold!" she exclaimed, closing the AC vent closest to her.

"Sorry," Paul said as he turned off the AC. He then proceeded to roll up his window.

"You are crazy. How do you have your AC on all while having your shirt off?"

"Oh, so you did notice," Paul joked. Kourtney felt her cheeks redden. "Liked what you see?"

"Of course Paul Lahote would say that." She grabbed a shirt that was on the dash and threw it to him.

Paul chuckled as he put it on. Kourtney kept her eyes forward, but every now and then she could see Paul turning to look at her. It made Kourtney feel uneasy and not in a bad way. Kourtney crossed her arms and turned her body away from Paul. She looked out the passenger window. Soon the raindrops got bigger and splattered across the windows.

"Ugh, good old Washington weather," she said.

"Still not used to it?" Paul joked. "You've only lived here all your life."

"No wonder Cody moved to Miami," Kourtney said.

"And I was under the impression it was for the girls."

Kourtney laughed. Paul had a point. Cody had a reputation for always chasing girls. Despite the fact that he had the same girlfriend all throughout high school, he was known for being a big flirt. It was no wonder his relationship was on again off again.

The rest of the ride was quiet. No small talk was exchanged. The drumming of the raindrops against the windows was enough for them. Despite complaining about the weather, Kourtney loved the sound of the rain. Paul slowed his truck to a stop in front of her house.

"Thanks for the ride!" Kourtney cried, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Wait, let me get that for you."

"Wha-" Paul hopped out of the car and ran to Kourtney's side. He opened the door. "Paul, you don't-"

Paul gracefully picked her up from the seat and carried her. He jogged to the house, only setting her down once they were safe under the porch roof.

"Thanks. You didn't have to do that," Kourtney laughed.

"It was no problem.

"You are really hot."

"Well, Hunt, it's about time you admitted it."

"I meant your actual body temperature. You're not getting sick again are you?" Her brows furrowed in concern.

"I'm fine."

"You say that a lot," Kourtney said.

The front door suddenly opened.

"I thought I heard voices. Hello, Paul."

"Good evening, Mr. Hunt," Paul said.

"Come on in. It's getting cold out here."

"I was just dropping Kourtney off," Paul explained.

"Why don't you join us for dinner? The game's about to be on soon. Mrs. Hunt got called to work a shift at the hospital again."

Paul looked to Kourtney. She saw her dad looking at her too, both waiting expectantly for her okay. Finally, she gave Paul a small smile.

"Sure, why not?" Paul said.

Once inside, all three got dinner and moved to the living room. A football game was being played and Paul and her dad immediately got into it. Even after finishing their plates, the two guys were too distracted for anything else. They didn't even notice that Kourtney cleared up their plates for them. Kourtney was nodding off when she heard the doorbell ring. Paul or her dad showed no signs of hearing it.

"I guess I'll get it," Kourtney said.

Her dad and Paul didn't pay her any attention. The doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming!" Kourtney cried.

She opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Alex standing in front of her.

"Alex!" It dawned on Kourtney that she had made plans with Alex. "Shit, Alex I'm sorry! I forgot-"

"I see that you have your priorities right," Alex said coldly, nodding towards Paul's truck.

"I'm sorry."

"Save it, Hunt. I'm pretty sure you'll need all the apologies you have for Marianne once I tell her what's been going on between you and Paul!"

Alex turned on his heel and walked down the steps. Kourtney ran after him. The rain let up a little, but the cold droplets still prickled Kourtney's skin.

"Alex, please don't tell Marianne! She should be hearing it from me!"

"You're right," Alex said spinning around. He pulled out his cellphone. He took a few seconds scrolling through his phone. "Let's call her right now."

Kourtney's stomach dropped. All she could do at that moment was pray that Marianne wouldn't pick up.

"Hey, Marianne," Alex said. Kourtney felt her mouth dry. Of all the times Marianne just happened to finally pick up her cell phone. "It's Alex. I'm here with Kourt and she has something to tell you."

Alex offered the phone to Kourtney. She glared at Alex. She was scared and angry. She felt tears collect in her eyes. She was about to break her best friend's heart. She brought the phone to her ear and was about to speak. Suddenly, the phone was yanked from her hand. She looked to see Paul beside her, the phone now in his hand and on his ear.

"Hey, Marianne, it's Paul. Stay by your phone, yeah? I'll call you later. We need to talk. Alright, bye." Paul powered the phone off then chucked it high in the sky.

"What the fuck man!"

"Mind your own damn business," Paul told him.

"This is my business! You made it my business when you tried to take my girlfriend away from me while you had your own girlfriend!"

"Ex-girlfriend," Paul emphasized. "Remember, she broke up with your ass after you had sex with another girl!"

Kourtney felt a stab to her heart. It was still painful to hear that the boy she loved for the past two years threw everything away for a one night stand.

"Yes, I remember. Biggest mistake of my life," Alex said. Kourtney could feel his eyes on her, but she kept her eyes on the ground. "I also remember that it only took a few days for you to swoop in and make your move! You just couldn't wait to get my leftovers, huh?"

Kourtney's head snapped up at what Alex said. She felt as if she had been slapped. At that moment, Paul threw a punch. Blood spurted out of Alex's nose and he fell to the ground. Kourtney was in shock. She saw as Paul threw another punch at Alex, who was still on the ground, trying to defend himself.

"Paul! Stop!" Kourtney yelled. Paul stopped punching, but he remained on top of Alex.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" Paul yelled.

"Paul!" Sam's voice boomed.

Kourtney looked to see Sam jumping the fence that separated her front yard from the Ateara's. Sam was fast to make his way to Paul. He picked up Paul with ease then pushed him.

"Run it off! Now!"

Kourtney looked at Paul. He was breathing hard and his eyes looked dark. His hands were shaking.

"Before you hurt anyone else!" Sam said.

Paul avoided Kourtney's gaze and ran. He didn't even get in his truck; he just ran and disappeared into the night. Kourtney heard groaning and she remembered about Alex.

"Oh my God, Alex!" She ran over to him. Blood was everywhere and he was holding his nose.

"I think Paul broke his nose," Kourtney told Sam.

"Damn it, Paul" Sam muttered. Sam helped Alex up. "Get inside Kourtney. I'll bring Alex to the hospital."

"I'll go-"

"No," Sam said. Kourtney was taken aback by his tone.

"I think you've been through enough," he added softly. She watched as Sam led Alex to his car.

"What's going on here?" Kourtney turned to see her dad standing on the porch.

"Don't worry, Jerry. Just a couple of high school boys being high school boys."

Kourtney didn't realize that Old Quil was out on his front yard. She wondered how long he had been there.

"Sam sorted it out," Old Quil continued. Kourtney saw her dad slowly nod his head.

"Time to go inside, sweetheart," Jerry told her. Kourtney nodded, but remained in her spot. She watched as Sam drove Alex's car down the road. Once they turned the corner, Kourtney looked up and down the street, wondering where Paul disappeared to.

"Kourtney!" Kourtney turned and walked inside the house.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Paul was still seething as he ran around the forests of La Push.

' _Paul,'_ came Jared's voice. _'Whoa, shit, man! You broke Alex's nose!'_

Paul groaned.

' _I hate this mind reading shit.'_

' _You're not the only one, but it makes for some good entertainment. Especially with this thing between you and Kourtney.'_

' _I will tear you to shreds,'_ Paul thought.

' _Yeah, I'd love to see that newbie.'_ Paul quickly made a U-turn, using his nose to follow Jared's scent.

' _I'll take a raincheck on kicking your ass, Lahote. Sam sent me to get you. He wants to talk to you.'_

Paul cursed, it didn't help with him trying to phase back as a human. He slowed to a walk. He tried to calm himself down. He tried picturing himself phasing back into a human. The more he tried to phase, the more he got frustrated.

' _Think about Kourtney. That's what I do.'_

Paul growled.

' _Dude, I mean I think about Kim. You think about Kourtney.'_

Paul continued walking. He felt a bit self-conscious thinking about Kourtney, especially with Jared being able to see.

' _Tell me how you two met.'_

Paul began to think about that day.

It was the beginning of hell week for his junior year. It was his first day on varsity. Most of the team was already on the field, but they were early. A few of the seniors decided to say hi to the cheerleaders. Naturally, Paul followed. He was talking with some of the junior cheerleaders when he noticed a girl walking towards them. Paul remembered how Kourtney's long hair swayed behind her. He even remembered what she was wearing: red shorts with a black tank top under a white shirt. Once she reached the team, she stood awkwardly on the side by herself. It was then Paul realized she was a newbie. _"Who is she?"_ he had asked Christy _. "Kourtney. She's a newbie. She joined along with her friend, but I think her friend stood her up."_ Paul didn't bother to hear the rest. He started walking towards her. _"She's Cody's little sister, FYI!" "Hi,"_ Paul said once he was a good distance near her. _"Hey,"_ she said, with a shy smile _. "I'm Paul,"_ he said, sticking a hand out to her. _"Kourtney. You can call me Kourt,"_ she told him, taking his hand to shake.

Paul smiled. It was one of his favorite memories.

He heard rustling. He looked up and realized that he was back into his human form. Jared appeared from behind a bush. He tossed something at Paul, gave a nod before taking off to patrol the borders. Paul picked up the pair of cargos that were dropped in front of him. It was one thing he disliked about phasing, having to be naked to do it. Of course for him, he rarely had time to strip before he phased. It was something he needed to work on, otherwise he would need to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Paul walked up to his house and saw Sam waiting for him at the front. He knew whatever it was, wasn't going to be good for him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sam said once Paul was near.

"I'm sorry," Paul mumbled.

"I don't need your apology. Now, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Paul said.

"Damn right! What if you phased at that second? You would've exposed the pack to Alex!"

"Another reason to tear him apart like a blood sucker," Paul said. Hearing Alex's name was already making him mad.

"You need to learn to control your anger! What if you phased in front of Kourtney? What if you injured her in the process?"

Paul knew what Sam was getting at. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Sam accidentally phased in front of Emily. Sam ended up accidentally raking her face. Paul tried to get the image of Emily's bloodied face out of his mind. Sam sighed.

"Tell Jared you're back to patrolling tonight. Take school off tomorrow. Maybe a night outdoors will help you to think about getting your emotions under control. Especially when it has something to do with Kourtney."

"Okay," Paul said.

"Two fights, almost three fights in just two nights."

Sam shook his head and sighed again. Paul heard a familiar ring tone. Sam pulled out a cellphone from his pocket. Paul saw Marianne's number flashing. Paul realized it was his cellphone that Sam had.

"You need to deal with this problem, Paul. Otherwise it's just going to cause problems for you and Kourtney."

Paul nodded. Sam departed and Paul finally answered.

"Hey," he greeted.

" _Sorry, I was nodding off. I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I thought to just call you again_."

"No, it's fine. I was actually about to call you."

" _You wanted to talk?"_

Paul heard the hope in her voice. Guilt just filled him up knowing he would be breaking her heart all over again. Then he thought about how it would affect Kourtney. It could make or break her friendship with Marianne. On the flipside, it could make things better between him and Kourtney.

Paul sighed.

" _Paul?"_

"Marianne, I… I kissed Kourtney." Short and simple was always good, right?

" _You what?"_

"I kissed Kourtney. It was a couple of days after she broke up with Alex. I was walking with her and… I just… kissed her." The line was silent. He gave it a minute before talking again. "Marianne…say something. Talk to me."

" _Do you have feelings for her?"_ Paul took a deep breath.

"I… All I know is that I really care about her."

" _Is that your nice way of saying yes?"_ It was.

"I'm sorry."

" _It took you a month to tell me this?"_ The anger was setting in. _"A whole month?"_

"You were always busy and when we broke up, I figured that it wouldn't matter."

" _You broke up with me, Paul! Was that the reason?"_ Paul didn't say anything. _"How could she?"_

"It's not Kourtney's fault-"

" _That you kissed her, I know. That's your own damn fault! But, why didn't she tell me this herself? And sooner?"_

"Don't be mad at her." Marianne scoffed.

" _Why not, Paul? She was my best friend! She should've told me the second it happened! She comforted me when I called her bawling my eyes because you broke my heart, and she didn't mention anything!"_

Paul knew she had a point.

"I told her not to," Paul said. Marianne was surprised. Even though it was another lie, Paul didn't want to make things worse between Marianne and Kourtney.

" _That doesn't matter. She still should have told me_!"

Paul only listened as Marianne dissolved into tears. He didn't know what to say to comfort her or to help Kourtney. As bad as he felt for Marianne, he really wanted to call and check in on Kourtney.

"Marianne, I'm sorry," he said again. All he got back was more sobs. "I'm gonna go now."

" _Paul, don't_."

"Bye, Marianne."

" _Paul-"_

Paul hung up. He sighed. He felt a mixture of guilt and relief. He was relieved that everything was now out in the open, et he felt guilty for what he just did to Marianne and for feeling relieved from her. He loved her, he truly did. But once she got on the plane and headed to New York, he knew things would change. The distance and lack of communication really did get to him. Getting closer to Kourtney didn't help either. Then Alex bringing up his initial crush on Kourtney…

Paul laughed at the irony. If Alex hadn't brought it up, maybe Paul wouldn't have thought about Kourtney that way. That is until he imprinted on Kourtney. Paul only thought of it as a sign that he was right for her all along. As far as he knew, Sam and Jared's imprinting was nothing close like his. Jared didn't even notice Kim's crush, let alone Kim until after he phased. As for Sam, he was with Emily's cousin, Leah. If anything, Sam would probably understand what Paul was going through.

Paul got up and tossed his phone aside. He walked out the house and towards the edge of the forest. He stripped off his pants and willed himself to phase.

* * *

 **AN:** Alex is finally out of the picture, but Marianne is now in the know! What will happen now? Hint: A few more familiar shapeshifters will soon be put into the mix. ;)

 _ **Chapter 13 Preview**_

 _"Can we talk?"_

 _Kourtney could feel all eyes were on them._

 _"No," she said in a small voice._

 _"Please, Kourtney."_

 _"We have nothing to talk about Paul."_

 _"I think we have plenty we need to talk about."_

 _Kourtney shook her head._

 _"Paul, we don't need to do this anymore."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"We have no reason to talk. We have no reason to be friends."_


	13. Chapter 13

It was Monday and Kourtney was dreading school. The secret was out and now everyone knew about her kiss with Paul. On top of that, she was sure word got around about Paul breaking Alex's nose.

Kourtney felt a bit of resentment when she pulled into the school and saw that Paul's truck wasn't there. His absence meant that she would be the main focus of the stares and whispers. Kourtney felt angry towards Paul for always ditching school, especially on that day. She took a deep breath and exited her car. She held her head up high, ready to face whatever awaited her behind the doors of La Push High.

After stepping inside the school, she made her usual way to the senior lockers. Her confidence faltered when she saw the majority of her class was there. Moni and Kayla were the first ones to see her. Their sent daggers with their eyes and Kourtney found herself staring at the ground. She no longer felt the need to hold her head up high. She no longer felt the confidence she had earlier. As soon as she reached her locker, Moni and Kayla flanked her on both sides.

"So have you talked to Marianne?" Kourtney didn't say anything. She did talk to Marianne. She received the call late at night. Apparently Paul finally told her about the kiss and she reacted how any other girl would.

" _I can't believe you would do this to me! I trusted you! Needless to say I don't want you in my life anymore, as a best friend or even as a friend!"_

Kourtney continued to ignore the two cheerleaders who were still bombarding her with questions.

"Marianne didn't deserve this," Kayla continued. "Just because Alex fucked you over doesn't mean you had to do that to Marianne, too."

Kourtney slammed her locker shut and walked away. She made her way to the bathroom, locked herself in a stall, and cried. She felt silly doing this. A senior in high school and she was spending time crying in a bathroom stall. She heard the door open. Kourtney tried to silence her sobs.

"Kourt"?" came Christy's voice. "Are you alright?"

Kourtney let out a small laugh.

"Right, stupid question. So everyone knows, huh?"

"Yeah," Kourtney managed to say. The bell rang signaling the 5 minute warning bell.

"Take your time," Christy said.

"No, I'm okay," Kourtney said wiping her tears and blowing her nose. She made her way out of the stall and Christy instantly gave her a hug.

"I'm here," Christy said.

"Thanks." Kourtney quickly wiped her face and made sure she looked presentable before heading out with Christy to their first class.

Her next two classes were filled with more whispers and stares. Brian didn't even look at her once. Nate and Leslie were the only ones who offered her a small smile, and Devin still carried on with her as though nothing happened. After her third class, Devin was walking with her down the hall to lunch.

"Hey, guys," Christy said. All three entered the cafeteria together for lunch. Immediately the cheerleaders and footballers table turned to look at them.

"Let's go sit with Kim?" Christy asked. Kim sat on the far corner of the cafeteria with her small group of friends. "You coming Devin?"

Devin looked surprised at the invitation, but nodded his head. They all made their way towards Kim. Her small group of friends looked up and they all began to disperse.

"I think you scared them, Kourtney," Devin joked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kourtney replied with a smile.

"Hey, Kim," Christy greeted.

"Hey, guys."

"I hope we didn't scare off your friends," Devin said, taking a seat across from her.

"Not at all. They're just…shy." Kim looked at Kourtney and gave her a smile. It was such a genuine smile that Kourtney was grateful for the gesture. Kourtney smiled back.

"So I heard Paul broke Alex's nose," Devin said with an amused smile.

"Devin!" Christy cried.

"What? Am I the only one who's happy about that?" Kourtney smiled and soon Christy did too.

"Yeah, he deserved it," Christy agreed. They all laughed. Kourtney quickly looked over to where she used to sit with her old friends. They all glanced at her and Kourtney only looked away. She suddenly felt content with the group she was sitting with now.

.-~*~-.

It was the middle of the week and Kourtney was getting settled into being the latest subject of rumors and gossip. She couldn't help but wonder when the talk about her would die down.

"Hey, Kourtney!" She looked up at the calling of her name. She smiled when she saw Embry Call standing beside his car. Jacob Black and Quil Ateara got out of his car. They were the best of friends and she never saw the three without one another. Of the three teens, she knew Quil the longest and the best; they were neighbors after all. Second was Jacob Black whose sister dated her brother for the four years of their time spent in high school. Then there was Embry Call, all she knew for certain was that he had some kind of a crush on her.

Ever since that week, it seemed like the trio made more of an effort to talk to her at school. Usually, they never interacted at school only when the friends were over at Quil's house. His bedroom window faced hers and they always had conversations via the windowsill.

She walked silently with the three teens, just listening to their conversation. They all entered the school together.

"See you later Kourtney!" Quil cried. Kourtney gave them a wave. She stopped when she saw Paul waiting at her locker.

"Do you need us to walk you?" Jacob asked, surprising Kourtney with his offer. His eyes were narrowed at Paul.

"I'll be fine, Jake," Kourtney told him. Jacob remained where he stood. Kourtney saw Paul return Jacob's stare, his jaw clenched.

"Come on, Jake," Embry said, finally pulling him away. Kourtney continued to her locker. She didn't say a word to Paul.

"Can we talk?" Paul finally asked. Kourtney could feel all eyes were on them.

"No," she said in a small voice.

"Please, Kourtney."

"We have nothing to talk about Paul."

"I think we have plenty we need to talk about," Paul insisted.

Kourtney shook her head.

"Paul, we don't need to do this anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Kourtney prepared herself. She looked around and saw that everyone was trying to eavesdrop. She lowered her voice even more.

"We have no reason to talk," she whispered. "We have no reason to be friends."

Paul felt as though he had been punch so hard that his heart stopped.

He shook his head.

"Don't do this, Kourtney," he pleaded in a low voice. "We can still be friends."

The hurt in his voice was evident and it hurt Kourtney to hear it.

"Not after everything that happened."

"Who cares what everyone else thinks? Fuck them!"

Those words reminded her of the words her brother told her before he went back to Miami. She looked a Paul. Her eyes automatically went to his. The look of hurt and desperation in his eyes made her chest tighten. She bit her lip as she felt the corners pull down into a frown. She had the urge to cry. Quickly she looked away.

"I'm sorry, Paul," she said as she slammed the door.

"Kourt!" She ignored him and continued to walk way. As she turned the corner she could hear the sound of something banging into metal. Everyone ran towards the sound while Kourtney continued walking against the crowd. As she walked down the hall, she caught a glimpse through the window of Paul sprinting through the school parking lot. She gasped as a car narrowly missed running him down. Paul was quick to side step it and impressively jumped over the hood of another car pulling into a parking space.

Kourtney remaining by the window, still watching as Paul made it out of the parking lot, still running.

"Damn, did you see what Lahote did?" The mentioning of Paul's last name brought Kourtney's attention back into the school's hallway.

"What?" she asked, whirling around. Brian and Kyle stopped and just stared at Kourtney. Neither of the football players had spoken a word to her since the dance. Just when Kourtney was about to walk away, Brian gave her a reply.

"He punched his locker in."

"He what?" Kourtney cried, her thoughts immediately going to Paul.

"I hope he gets suspended," Kyle said, laughing. Brian laughed along with him. Kourtney tried her best to keep a straight face. She didn't feel like that the statement was funny.

"Good thing you finally cut off ties with him," Brian said. Kyle nodded in agreement. Kourtney was spared a reply by the warning bell. "Are you headed this way?"

Kourtney only nodded.

"We'll walk you," Brian said with a smile. Kourtney smiled back. Brian's sudden change of attitude towards Kourtney made her realize a few things. For one, everyone most likely heard her conversation with Paul. Two, she was easier to forgive than Paul. The third thing she didn't realize until lunch was that she was now back in with the cheerleaders and the football players. Upon entering the cafeteria, she was instantly guided by Moni to the usual table. She cast a glance back at where Kim sat with her friends and Christy. The two girls offered her a smile, leaving Kourtney feeling better.

Once lunch hour was done, Kourtney hurried to Christy.

"Hey," Kourtney called.

"I see they let you back in their pack," Christy said. Kourtney laughed. "How was it?"

Kourtney sighed. "Tiring. I was basically faking my whole time there."

"Not quite the same after they throw you under the bus huh?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Yeah, doesn't feel as good as I thought it would," Kourtney said. "Please make sure I never go back."

Christy laughed.

The rest of the day was somewhat normal again. Her old friends were more social towards Kourtney, but she now had her guard up. Aside from Christy, Kourtney knew she couldn't trust or count on any of them to be real friends.

Kourtney was at her car when someone called for her. She turned to see Kim walking making her towards her. She threw her bag in and waited for Kim to approach.

"Hi, Kim," she greeted with a smile.

"Do you have a second to talk?" The question surprised Kourtney. The last two days during lunch was probably the most she ever spent with Kim. She had no idea what Kim would want to talk about with her.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

Kim fidgeted for a few seconds before speaking.

"I heard what happened this morning, between you and Paul." Kourtney crossed her arms, ready to be on the defense. "Are you really just going to end your friendship with him just like that?"

Kourtney sighed and looked away. In doing so, she spotted Jared's bright red Jeep at the end of the parking lot. She saw him glance in her direction then look away. Kourtney turned her attention back to Kim.

"It's complicated," Kourtney told her.

"You don't have to stop being friends with him," Kim said.

"In order to fix my friendship with Marianne, I think I do. Marianne is my best friend who I have known since we were in fourth grade! I just met Paul a couple of years ago!"

Kim nodded thoughtfully.

"What?"

"It's just that…I know you haven't known Paul for as long as you knew Marianne. I mean, I only really started being his friend a few weeks ago, but we both know that he is a good guy. Aside from his temper…He is a good guy."

Kourtney didn't say anything. Everything that Kim was telling her was true and something she already knew.

"He really cares for you, Kourtney," Kim went on. Her voice was now soft and low. "Putting that kiss aside, he's a nice guy who really cares about you, and who's really hurting over the fact that he's going to lose you as a friend."

A tear rolled down Kourtney's cheek. She quickly wiped it away. Covering her face, she let out a frustrated groan.

"I… It's-" Kourtney didn't even know what to say. She took a deep breath. "You're right. Paul is a good guy, a good friend. But, something has changed with him. It may have been the kiss, but ever since he got sick…" Kourtney shrugged. She didn't want to explain that ever since Paul returned after being out sick, she felt a change whenever he was around. It was a feeling even she didn't know what to make of. "All I know is that whatever Paul is feeling right now is what I'm feeling in regards to Marianne. And right now, being friends with Paul is not going to help me fix my friendship with my best friend."

Kim nodded again.

"I should go," Kourtney said, not wanting to prolong the conversation.

"Of course. I'm sorry I held you up."

"It's okay, no worries!"

Kim stood back so Kourtney could pull out of her parking space. She gave a small wave and walked towards her boyfriend's car. He got out and gave her a big hug.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"How's Paul?" she asked instead.

"Sad as hell," Jared said as he rested his head on top of Kim's.

"Tell him he'll be fine." Jared looked at her confused.

"I'm sorry, was I the only one who heard that she wanted nothing to do with Paul?"

"Until she fixes her friendship with Marianne. Basically, she just needs space from Paul! Just tell him to stop trying too hard to move their friendship along. He basically has to start from scratch!"

Jared shook his head. "So, you want me to tell Paul Lahote to just chill?" Kim laughed. "Damn, I hope for his sake that he catches some kind of a break!"

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter was originally too long so I ended up cutting it short. There isn't as much Jacob, Embry, and Quil moments in here, but they got their introduction. The next chapter might be uploaded as soon as tonight, so keep a look out!

* I feel like I am rushing through these chapters! I always tell myself to take my time writing them, but I'm always so excited and eager to post them up for you lovely readers! Also I have been neglecting my Vampire Diaries fanfic for this fanfic, so I need to work on my time management skills!

** Reviews are always greatly appreciated! Also, check out my other works! I have one completed titled Secrets. I did promise a sequel to it. Maybe after this fic? We shall see! I am not even half way done with this one!


	14. Chapter 14

Kourtney honked her horn at the two teenagers walking down the road. She pulled her car up beside them.

"What are you two up to?"

"Just going to Jake's house," Quil told her.

"No ride today?"

"Embry's sick."

"Get in, I'll give you a ride."

Quil immediately jumped in the front, leaving Jacob to ride in the back by himself.

"Where were you going?" Quil asked.

Their neighborhood was on the other end of the road from the Black residence.

"I, um, I was volunteered to drop off Paul's homework."

"By who?" Jacob asked.

"Kim," Kourtney said.

"Jared's girlfriend right?" Kourtney looked back at Jacob.

"You really need to work on hiding your dislike for them," Kourtney joked.

"Kourt, you missed the turn to Jake's," Quil began.

"I know," Kourtney said. "You two are accompanying me to drop off Paul's homework."

"No! Let me out!" Jacob cried reaching for the door.

"Jake!"

"It'll only take a minute!"

At least that was what she was hoping. She planned on just leaving the homework at the front door, but soon her imagination took over and she thought up scenarios that all resulted in Paul not getting his homework and him flunking his senior year again. She settled on knocking and hoping that Mr. Lahote so that he could pass on the work to Paul. Luck was on her side when she saw Jacob and Quil walking. Now that she had other people in the car, it gave her an excuse to leave in the event Paul was the one who answered the door and wanted to talk some more.

"You guys don't even need to get out! Just stay in the car!"

"Why don't you just drop it off in the mailbox?"

"Or just say you did, but really just don't?" Jacob asked.

"Do you want him to flunk again?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, Jake. He'll ended up being in our class."

Jacob crossed his arms. Kourtney pulled her car up to the Lahote residence. She leafed through the papers in her binder and pulled out a packet with Paul's name on it.

"I'll be quick."

She stepped out of her car and jogged up to the front of the house. She gave three good knocks on the door. No one came.

"It's been a minute!" Jacob yelled.

Kourtney rolled her eyes and knocked another three times, louder than the ones before. She waited several seconds before she heard footsteps coming from inside. She suddenly felt nervous. The footsteps were heavy and she thought there was no way it belonged to Mr. Lahote. If anything, the heavy steps would belong to the now giant-like Paul. She prepared herself as she heard the lock clicking and the door opening.

"What?" Paul barked. Kourtney jumped by his loud greeting. Paul took in who was standing in front of his door. "Uh, Kourtney! Sorry! I thought you were someone else."

Kourtney was still shocked from his outburst.

"Are you okay?" he asked stepping out and placing a hand on her arm. His hot touch seemed to bring Kourtney back. She realized that Paul was wearing nothing but a pair of sweat pants. Her eyes kept going from his face to his nicely tanned body.

"Uh," Kourtney began. She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened her eyes, she made sure that she avoided looking at any part of Paul. "I have your homework."

"Thanks," Paul said, as he took the papers that Kourtney shoved into his hands. "Do you want to-"

"No!" Kourtney cried. "Uh, Jake and Quil are with me. I still need to drop them off."

Paul looked over to her car and sure enough saw two other people inside. Kourtney started to retreat, not giving Paul a chance to start up another conversation.

"Thanks!" he called out as she rushed to her car.

Kourtney could feel her face get hot. Seeing Paul half naked was something she wasn't used to anymore. The image of Paul opening the door without his shirt flashed her in mind.

"Are you okay?" Quil asked.

"Yeah," Kourtney mumbled as she started up her car.

"You're red."

At that moment, Kourtney wanted nothing more than her neighbor to shut up.

"So, Jake's?" she asked as she took off back down the road.

Kourtney opened her window, hoping the cool breeze would help her body temperature go back to normal.

"Wait, are you blushing?" Quil asked. He went on to be ignored, but that didn't stop him from opening his mouth again. "Was it because Paul was shirtless?"

Jacob scoffed in the back. Kourtney looked at him through the rearview mirror. He looked amused.

"Do you like Paul?"

"Quil, enough!" Kourtney cried. Quil flinched at her tone. She took a deep breath, not enjoying how she just yelled at him. She felt bad.

"So is that a yes?" Kourtney rolled her eyes. Suddenly she wasn't feeling as bad.

"I hope not," Jacob said. "I think he's trouble."

Kourtney laughed.

"You know, that is exactly what Cody said."

Jacob nodded.

"Great minds think alike."

"He seems to care about you a lot," Quil said quietly.

"Because he wants to sleep with her!" Kourtney looked appalled at what Jacob said. "It's true! I mean, rumors don't start out of nowhere."

Also something that Cody said.

"I think he likes you, too. I mean, he defended you from Alex when he called you his leftovers."

Kourtney glanced at Quil.

"I was home when the fight happened," Quil explained.

"He's part of Sam's gang!"

"What gang?" she asked turning onto Jacob's road.

"He thinks Sam Uley is starting some kind of gang."

"Have you not seen Sam? He's gotten huge! So has Jared and now Paul! Plus they all have matching tattoos. It's probably their gang symbol or something."

What Jacob said suddenly connected dots for Kourtney. He was right. Sam, Jared, and Paul all looked somewhat similar. They were all well over six feet tall and they seemed to have gained more muscle than they had before.

"I think he's just looking too much into it," Quil whispered.

"I can hear you!" Jacob cried. Kourtney pulled into Jacob's driveway and was thankful that she didn't have to hear the two friends fight.

"Thanks," Jacob grumbled as he got out of the car. She watched as he stomped off into his house.

"Sorry about Jake," Quil started.

"Does he really think Sam is starting a gang?" Quil shrugged. "Something's going on for sure, though. I think he's just more worried that Embry is next."

"What do you mean?"

"Sam and my grandpa just so happened to stop by Embry's house yesterday and suddenly today, Embry is sick." Quil used air quotes.

"Well, have you asked Old Quil-"

"He said it was nothing to worry about." Kourtney nodded. "Thanks for the ride, Kourt."

She gave him a smile. She waited until he was inside the house before driving away.

.-~*~-.

Paul sighed in frustration.

"Okay, Paul, just hold on," Kim said exasperated. They were both seated at Emily's kitchen table. It was Saturday and Paul was working on all the homework he had to make up. He was hoping that Kourtney would help him, but after texting her the night before and not receiving a reply, he figured she still needed space. He tried working on it by himself, but he didn't get very far. When seeing his frustration, Sam suggested that he get a tutor. Of course, the only tutor he knew that would even want to help him was Kim. "Let's start over."

"No! We've been here for hours, Kim!" Paul cried. "I don't get this shit."

"It's really easy-"

"For you!

"Well, maybe if you just-"

"Fuck this shit!" Paul exclaimed.

"Paul!" Emily cried from her place at the stove.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Sam and Jared walked through the door. Paul shot up from his seat. "I'll go on patrol."

"I take it the tutoring isn't going well?" Sam asked once Paul was gone. Kim shook her head as she massaged her temples. Jared lightly massaged her shoulders.

"It has to be tough for him," Emily said making her way beside Sam. The two shared a quick peck on the lips. "He has to balance school and this shape shifter business."

"Plus Kourtney," Jared said. "He will not stop thinking about her!"

"Well, I hope everything gets better for him." Everyone agreed with Emily.

"I might," Sam said. "Embry Call has been showing signs. Having another shifter won't be so bad."

"But he'll also still be in school," Emily pointed out.

"Yeah, Sam agreed, rubbing his cheek. He was beginning to worry about how to command his pack, especially if two of them were still in school. He knew Paul was already very behind with his schoolwork. He also knew that Paul was the worst out of them three when it came to controlling his phasing. His constant drama with Kourtney didn't help either. He only hoped that Embry Call would somewhat be better.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney walked into her first period Monday morning and was surprised to see Paul already in his seat. Kim was with him, leaning over his shoulder. A textbook was open on his desk and he was furiously writing on a piece of paper. Kourtney took her seat. She strained her ears when she heard Paul talk.

"Let me just copy your homework!" he cried.

"I already turned it in," Kim told him. "This was due last week, Paul. Everyone already turned theirs in!"

Paul groaned.

"Do you at least remember any of this shit?"

The bell rang and more students trickled in.

"Fuck!" Paul exclaimed.

"Sorry, Paul," Kourtney heard Kim say. Kim got up from her place next to Paul and headed towards the door.

"Kim," Kourtney called out. Kim stopped in front of Kourtney's desk. "Did Paul not finish his homework?"

Kim shook her head. She leaned in closer and lowered her voice.

"I tried helping him over the weekend," she told Kourtney. "Didn't get anywhere, he got too frustrated."

Kourtney nodded. Kim gave a small wave before disappearing into the hallway to get to her class. Kourtney glanced back at Paul who was now laying his head over his arms on his desk. She felt bad for him. She felt even worse when she remembered him texting her over the weekend, first to thank her for bringing him his make-up assignments, then asking a second time to ask her if she was able to help him.

Their teacher entered. Quickly spotting Paul, she asked him for his make-up assignments.

"He doesn't have it!" Kourtney cried, getting everyone's attention. "I didn't get a chance to give it to him!"

Her teacher took a second to process what Kourtney said.

"You didn't give Mr. Lahote his make-up assignments?" Kourtney was aware that everyone's attention was now on her. She slowly shook her head. "Ms. Hunt, you do understand that Mr. Lahote needed those assignments to catch up in this class. It was your responsibility to get him those assignments after you volunteered."

"I didn't really volunteer," Kourtney mumbled.

"What was that?" her teacher asked.

"Nothing! I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, Ms. Hunt. Apologize to Mr. Lahote. You just set him back even more," the teacher reprimanded. Kourtney felt her cheeks get hot. She wanted nothing more than to disappear.

"It's alright, Mrs. Blackburn," Paul began.

"No, it is not alright, Mr. Lahote," Mrs. Blackburn went on. "Now, you and Ms. Hunt can join me for lunch."

"What?" Kourtney cried. "Why? Because I forgot to give him his homework? It's not my fault he's been missing school!"

She heard snickers all around the class. She instantly regretted her outburst with the look her teacher gave her.

"You're right, Ms. Hunt. Mr. Lahote, I'll see you at lunch so you can make-up your work. Ms. Hunt, I'll see you in detention!"

"Are you kidding?" Kourtney cried again. "I-"

"Hunt, shut up!" Paul said. Kourtney turned in her seat to look at him. He shook his head at her and she only glared.

"Now, as for the rest of you, take out your homework."

Kourtney continued wait until class was over. Once the bell signaled the end of class, Kourtney was the first one out.

"Kourt!" she heard Paul call. Kourtney of course ignored him. He caught up with her anyway and stepped in front of her.

"Thanks a lot, Lahote!" she cried, glaring at him.

"Hey, I never asked you to take the fall for me and I sure as hell didn't ask you to get yourself detention for my sake!" Paul told her. With that he left her standing in the middle of the hallway, surprised that he didn't apologize.

"You're such a jerk, Lahote!" Kourtney called after him. Paul smiled to himself upon hearing those words.

* * *

 **AN:** Happy New Year everybody! Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated! Please be sure to check out my other fanfic Greatest Weakness: Life! An update for that will be up soon! Also, check out my completed fanfic Secrets!


	15. Chapter 15

"Ms. Hunt, never thought I'd see you here!" Mr. Joseph said when Kourtney walked through the door. It was afterschool and she was serving her detention sentence. "Sit wherever you like."

Kourtney grabbed the table in the far back. A few more students trickled in, most of them underclassmen. She was busy working on her homework when someone plopped down on the seat next to her.

"I better not have to separate you two," she heard Mr. Joseph say. She looked up and saw that he was looking at her. Her brows furrowed in confusion. She looked beside her and saw Paul smiling at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Hi to you too, Hunt," he said in a low voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"I forgot to have lunch with Mrs. Blackburn." Kourtney rolled her eyes again.

"Mr. Lahote! Homework! Work on it!" Paul gave a nod and pulled out his notebook. It only took several minutes before Paul dropped his pencil down and leaned back in his seat.

"Done already?" Kourtney asked. She knew he wasn't. She had been watching her from the corner of her eyes. He only did one problem and he got the wrong answer. From what she witnessed earlier that morning, she knew Paul was having a hard time understanding the lessons and homework he missed. Even though it was his own fault for missing school for whatever reason he had, Kourtney was still concerned.

"Yeah," he said. She gave him a look and snatched his notebook. She sighed. He didn't have much done.

"Paul, you need to do this! You've missed so much school already, you need to catch up!" Paul shook his head. "You don't want to flunk again. Everyone will be halfway done with college if you flunk again."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not going," he told her. His hands rested on his head and he continued to just lean back in his chair.

"To college? What, are you just gonna stay here at the res?" He nodded. "Why? Didn't you have plans for college?"

"Football scholarship. Obviously I need to play football in order to get that." He dropped his hands and crossed his arms. He avoided looking at Kourtney.

"Why'd you quit the team then?"

"It just wasn't possible for me." Kourtney remembered the few weeks Paul was out due to being sick. She still wondered what had him so sick. She wondered if his sickness somehow affected his ability to play. Kourtney then wondered if he missed out on so many school days because of his sickness. She thought better about questioning him about it. "Well, you weren't good enough for a scholarship anyway."

Paul gave her a look. She knew she touched a nerve. She gave him a smile to show that she was just joking.

"You got jokes," Paul muttered. He was now leaning forward on his desk, rolling his pencil between his index finger and thumb. She studied his face. In that moment, he looked sad. Kourtney scolded herself for how she had been acting towards him. She didn't know what was going on with Paul, but whatever it was, it was big. The kiss that they shared was old news now. Kourtney realized that it wasn't a big deal anymore. It was now known by everyone that they kissed. Marianne and Paul were broken up. It was time to move on. As much as she wanted to fix her friendship with Marianne, Kourtney had to accept that Marianne wasn't ready to forgive her. She also took into consideration what Kim said: Paul was a good friend. He had always been there for Kourtney and now, he might need someone there for him.

Kourtney sighed to herself. She turned back to her own work.

"Student loans," Kourtney suddenly said.

"Drop it, Hunt. It's made up. I'm staying in La Push."

"Forever?" she asked.

"I don't know." Paul gave her a sideways glance. He leaned towards her. "What are your plans?"

"Well, I applied to several colleges already. Of course a couple of them were in Los Angeles and a couple more in New York. I guess those are off my list now." She gave a small smile. "But I still have a college or two in San Diego and even the same college Cody goes to in Miami."

"Nothing close by?" Paul asked, darting his eyes away.

"University of Washington and Seattle University. I aim to get out of Washington, but then again I could settle for just getting out of the res."

Paul nodded, looking crestfallen.

"I'm sure you'll get out of La Push," Kourtney told him. "Eventually."

"Yeah," he told her, giving a small smile. "Hopefully."

"So, do you still need my help with your homework?" Kourtney asked, turning towards him. Paul looked surprised, but nodded his head.

The two spent the rest of their detention working together on Paul's homework. They managed to get halfway down when Mr. Joseph finally dismissed them from detention. Paul was quick to pack up his stuff, but waited on Kourtney.

"Be good you, you two," Mr. Joseph told them as they walked out together.

Kourtney and Paul walked to the school parking lot. It was easy to see that her car was the only vehicle left.

"Where's your truck?"

"Uh, I got a ride to school," Paul said.

"Let me guess, Jared?" Paul nodded.

"Why do you hang around him now?"

Paul shrugged.

"I mean, he was in the same grade as me."

"You two barely talked."

"Yeah, well, we just have a couple of things in common now. He understands me." He had to admit that sounded cheesy.

"Are we talking about the same Jared here? Immature and childish Jared?" This made Paul laugh. "You know, I think you were actually a bit more mature than him at times."

"He's changed. He's different now." Even Jared did tend to goof off still, he always took patrolling seriously.

"So, you want a ride?"

Paul stopped and gave Kourtney a shocked expression.

"First you drop off my homework for me, then you cover my ass and land yourself in detention for me, then you actually talk to me during detention, and now you're offering me a ride?" Kourtney rolled her eyes. "But what will people think?" Paul asked dramatically.

"Okay, you can walk," Kourtney said as she walked to the driver's side.

She opened the door and got in just as Paul got into the passenger's side. He gave her a smile which she responded with another eye roll.

"You need a bigger car," Paul said as he adjusted the seat. Even with the seat positioned all the way back, his legs still needed more room.

"That wasn't a problem before," Kourtney said.

"I like my Wheaties," Paul replied. Kourtney laughed.

"Well, my parents are always gone and they always take the truck or the SUV and leave me with this."

"Everything okay?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, my mom has just been taking up more shifts and my dad…he just hates being home alone, I guess. He's always working the night shift now."

There was an edge in her voice. Paul knew there was more to it, but he didn't want to push her into talking about it. He was grateful that they were even talking. He let a few minutes pass by.

"So can I ask a question? It's about Alex."

Kourtney let out a sigh.

"I haven't talked to him since that eventful night of you breaking his nose."

Paul bit back a smile.

"Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Have you talked with Marianne?" Kourtney asked. She hadn't talked to Marianne since the same night.

Paul glanced at her then out the window. His arms went from being relaxed at his sides to being crossed over his chest.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I, uh, we still talk."

Paul noticed Kourtney grip the wheel a little tighter. He also noticed her bite her lower lip. Just looking at her lips made him think about their kiss. The feelings he felt when his lips first touched his all came rushing back to him.

"It's because she's still in love with you."

"What?" The moment was ruined for him.

"Marianne, she still talks to you because she still actually loves you and is willing to forget your mistake."

"Maybe I should stop talking to her then," Paul said. This made Kourtney look at him.

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't want her thinking there's still a chance of getting back together. I don't feel the same way as she does." Paul looked at her when she said nothing. "What do you think?"

"I think I should not meddle into that whole situation of yours. My circle of friends has already dwindled because of all this drama and rumors."

Paul laughed.

"Well, if you ask me, you don't need 'friends' who talk bad about you or who would rather believe the rumors over believing you."

"We live on La Push. Everyone's hobby is gossiping."

"Not Kim's," Paul pointed.

"She's nice."

"Yeah, she is. A little shy, but better than half of those cheerleaders you call friends anyway." Kourtney nodded. "Then there's Jared."

"I don't talk to Jared."

"If you talk to Kim, you talk to Jared. Those two are a pair, they're inseparable! It's like a two in one deal."

"Okay," Kourtney laughed.

"So that brings you up to two friends. Then there's Christy. The only tolerable cheerleader I know, after you." Kourtney smiled. "Then, last but certainly not least, you have me."

Kourtney looked at Paul. He gave her a smile.

"You'll always have me."

His smiled coupled with what he just told her made her feel warm…and safe. She held her gaze longer than necessary because a car honked behind hair. Kourtney quickly broke eye contact and refocused on the road. It took only a minute until she pulled up in front of Paul's house.

"Thanks for the ride!"

"No prob!"

"Today was nice. It was nice talking to you again," Paul told her.

"It was," Kourtney agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Will I?" Paul laughed.

"Yes, I will show up this time!"

Kourtney watched as Paul walked up to his house. She gave a wave before driving back down the road. She glanced up in her rearview to see if she could see him one last time. She was surprised to see Sam Uley and Jared suddenly appear. Kourtney briefly glanced back down at the road then back to the mirror. They were gone.

Kourtney spent the short drive back home thinking about Paul. She did enjoy talking with him again. She felt grateful when he told her she'd always have him as a friend. She was beginning to think the kiss really was nothing. Alex was wrong. Paul had no romantic feelings for her. Like he told her, he was her friend. Kourtney felt a little better now. She felt relieved. She felt no need to try and avoid Paul now that she knew for sure he had no feelings towards her.

As she held onto to this thought, she pushed away the question that had been bothering her.

 _Why do you care if Paul still talks to Marianne?_

* * *

 **AN:** Kourtney and Paul's friendship is back on track. I hope nothing else would derail it... ;)

 **CH 16 Preview  
**

"So, I saw Jared picking you up from school earlier," Kourtney said suddenly. Paul looked up from his book.

"Stalking me now?" he replied with a smirk.

"I think he's a bad influence." Paul looked up at her again. Her face was serious.

"He needed help with something."

"Why couldn't he have asked Sam? I heard that you three hang out now."

"Who told you that?" Kourtney shrugged. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter." Paul eyed Kourtney suspiciously. She fidgeted under his gaze. "Let's just drop it okay?"

"Yeah, you know what?" Paul slammed his textbook shut and stuffed everything in his back pack. "I think I need a break from studying. I'm just gonna go."


	16. Chapter 16

It took but two seconds for Christy to suddenly bombard Kourtney with questions once she step foot inside the school.

"What happened? I heard Paul purposely got detention with you! Did you guys talk? Are you okay now? Are you guys gonna date now? When's the wedding?"

Kourtney couldn't help but be amused.

"How was your weekend?" Kourtney asked.

"Went to Port Angeles, spent it with the boyfriend. Same old, same old. Now, your turn!"

Kourtney laughed.

"I stayed home and watched football with my dad."

"How about Paul?" Christy asked.

"I don't know what he did. You should go ask him." Christy groaned, making Kourtney laugh even more.

"You know what I mean! What happened during detention?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Nothing exciting. We just talked. Like we used to."

"And?"

"And nothing Christy," Kourtney said. "Paul and I are just friends."

"So he didn't profess his love for you?" Christy asked with a smirk.

"Nope. Like I said, we are just friends. He still talks to Marianne."

"Does that bother you?"

"No," Kourtney replied automatically.

"Don't want to think about it?"

"Even though Marianne no longer considers me as a friend, I still consider her a friend. I know she's still in love with Paul. If Paul still talks to her, then obviously there's still something there. I hope they get back together."

Christy shook her head. "If you say so."

Kourtney nodded her head and closed her locker.

"Hey, Hunt," Paul said as he passed by. Kourtney gave him a smile. Paul continued to his locker as Kourtney walked away with Christy. After hearing what Kourtney said, he made a mental note to stop talking to Marianne. Having his ex-girlfriend still pining for him would not help him get closer to Kourtney.

The week flew by for Paul. Everyone seemed to accept that he and Kourtney were friends once again. Not that Paul cared, but he was glad that Kourtney didn't have to be the subject of the rumors. He knew it affected her to a degree though she would never admit it.

Walking into school that Friday, Paul felt somewhat triumphant in making it to school for an entire week without having to leave because he needed to phase. Being on good terms with Kourtney did help a lot with his phasing. Whenever he was with her, he did feel calmer. He definitely felt a lot happier, too.

The bell rang, signaling the start of third period. Mr. Joseph was already at his desk.

"Pass up your homework! We have an easy class today because all you guys will be doing is working on your projects!" The class groaned. "I will allow you to pair up. So if you want, find a partner otherwise, be loner and work by yourself!"

Kourtney felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She looked up at Nate who pointed back to Paul with his pencil. Kourtney then looked at Paul.

"Partners," Paul mouthed at her. Kourtney smiled.

"I guess I'll have to find another partner," Christy said behind her. She playfully glared at Paul who only stuck his tongue out at her. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

Mr. Joseph went on to explain what their project was. Halfway through, Paul raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Lahote?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay? Did you want me to hold your hand?" The class laughed. A look of annoyance showed on Paul's face. "If you need to go, then go!"

Paul got up and darted to the door.

"I guess he really had to go."

The class laughed once again. "Alright, what was I talking about?"

Kourtney tried to turn her attention to Mr. Joseph, but a red Jeep caught her eye. She turned her head towards the window. She frowned as she saw Paul get into Jared's car. Kourtney couldn't believe that Paul was leaving. She glanced at his belongings that were still on his desk. When she looked back up, the red Jeep was out of sight.

.-~*~-.

"Hey, Kim." Kourtney fell in step with Kim. They had the following class together and Kourtney wanted a word with her.

"Hi, Kourtney. What's wrong?"

"Uh, well, Paul skipped out again. I saw Jared picking him up."

"They probably have something to do," Kim said. Kourtney was surprised that Kim didn't seem bothered by it.

"Like what? Tell your boyfriend that Paul has missed enough school." Kim looked at Kourtney, taken aback by her comment.

"Paul will be fine," Kim eventually said after composing herself. "Thanks to you, he's pretty caught up now."

"Yeah, but…what do they do? Why does Jared always make Paul skip?"

"Jared doesn't make Paul do anything." Kim stopped walking and faced Kourtney. She was suddenly feeling defensive for Jared. "Look, we both know Paul hates being told what to do so don't think my boyfriend is _making_ him skip."

"I'm sorry," Kourtney said. "It's just that- What?"

Kim was looking at her amused.

"Why are you so concerned with what Paul does?" Kim began walking again.

"I'm not!" Kourtney cried. Kim just smiled.

"Paul's a big boy, Kourt. He'll be fine. He's not getting into any trouble."

Kourtney decided not to talk about it anymore. Was she the only one concerned about what Paul was doing? She was starting to think that Jacob's theory about them had some kind of truth.

.-~*~-.

All throughout the day, Kourtney expected to see Paul come through the door of the classroom, or the lunch room, or even the school's front doors. She even waited a bit longer around the lockers to see if Paul ever came back. He never did.

She was surprised to see Jared though. He usually sat in his Jeep, waiting for Kim, but today she saw him in the hallway with Kim. He was carrying a book bag and when they passed, Kourtney realized it was Paul's. She was going to say something, but decided against it.

 _He's a big boy_ , Kourtney told herself. She got her own school books and headed home. Once there, she made herself a sandwich and went on her laptop. She saw pictures of the cheerleaders on the school page. She felt sad seeing that there was only one picture that she was in. Even after being cleared by the doctor, Kourtney decided to quit the team. Most of it had to do with the fact that she no longer trusted any of the cheerleaders to be a true friend. Except for Christy, and maybe even Leslie. They were the only two who never really bought into the rumors and gossip. The other reason for quitting was the fact that the season was almost over anyway.

A knock at the door tore her away from the screen. She polished off her sandwich before answering the door.

"Paul!" Kourtney cried in surprised after seeing him behind the door. "Where'd you go?"

"Sorry, something came up." Kourtney waited, expecting more of an explanation from him. "You up for starting this project?"

"Uh, yeah, come in!" Kourtney held the door open for Paul. They made their way to the kitchen where Paul immediately sat his bag down on the chair.

"Help yourself," Kourtney said, indicating to the pantry. Paul wasted no second and immediately rummaged for some food.

"I know I shouldn't complain, but you ain't got anything good!" Kourtney made her way over.

"Yeah, my parents probably haven't had time to go grocery shopping," Kourtney sighed. "I'll probably have to do it tomorrow. You can make yourself a sandwich."

Paul did just that and he grabbed the last can of soda.

"Your parents busy working?"

Kourtney nodded.

"My dad mentioned some kind of promotion on the horizon. The other day I heard him talking with Chief Swan. So I don't know what's going on with that."

"And your mom?" Paul asked with his mouth full.

"She's been working. When she's not working, she's sleeping. On her days off, she's out running errands." Paul nodded. "Anyway, how's your dad?"

"Same old Gene." Kourtney nodded. The two sat in silence. Paul finished his sandwich and let out a big belch.

"You are disgusting," Kourtney said, throwing a crumpled napkin at him. Paul caught it and threw it back at her. "Jerk! I don't even know why I agreed to be your partner!"

"We both know why," Paul replied, wriggling his eyebrows. Kourtney shook her head.

"Anyways, since you left, I ended up picking our topic for the project!"

"It better be good!"

"If it's not, I don't care. I picked it because you weren't there!" Kourtney got her binder and explained the entire project to Paul. They divvied up the work and Kourtney got to doing her part of the research. She was rereading a paragraph for the third time when she looked up, glaring at Paul. He was busy reading but was absentmindedly tapping his pen against the table. He didn't even seem to notice her glaring. Her glare was soon replaced with a look of amusement. She never saw Paul look so serious or focused.

His head rested on his left hand. He had his book leaning against the table, the bottom part of the book on his lap. His right hand moved as he rhythmically tapped the pen against the table top. His lips moved as he read the words to himself. Kourtney's stare lingered on his lips. Paul stopped tapping his pen so he could turn the page. He licked his lips before continuing to read. Suddenly he looked up, catching Kourtney's stare. She looked away, but she could see him smile. She rested her cheek against her left palm, hoping it would hide the blush on her cheeks. She glanced back at him and saw that he was still smiling to himself.

Kourtney cleared her throat.

"So, I saw Jared picking you up from school earlier," Kourtney said suddenly. Paul looked up from his book.

"Stalking me now?" he replied with a smirk.

"I think he's a bad influence." Paul looked up at her again. Her face was serious.

"He needed help with something."

"Why couldn't he have asked Sam? I heard that you three hang out now."

"Who told you that?" Kourtney shrugged. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter." Paul eyed Kourtney suspiciously. She fidgeted under his gaze. It was easy to see she touched a nerve. "Let's just drop it okay?"

"Yeah, you know what?" Paul slammed his textbook shut and stuffed everything in his back pack. "I think I need a break anyway. I'm just gonna go."

"Wait, Paul!" Kourtney said standing up. Paul was already halfway through the door. "Paul!"

"I'll text you later. Maybe we can meet up again tomorrow, or something," Paul told her. He opened the door and ran down the steps. Kourtney followed, but stopped at the porch. She saw Jacob Black walking up Quil's walkway. He watched as Paul made his way to his truck. Then he turned to look at Kourtney. She gave a wave but he continued to stare at her, a look of disapproval on his face.

Paul got in his truck and started it. He glanced at Kourtney who still stood on her porch. He felt bad about how he stormed off, but he hated not being able to tell her. Especially now, it seemed like she was getting more and more suspicious. Although his constant disappearing from school was the main reason, he couldn't help but think that someone else was causing her to be suspicious of him.

As he drove away, he cast one last look at Kourtney. He was surprised to see Jacob Black hopping the fence and walking up to Kourtney. Paul slowly pulled his truck over, hoping that they wouldn't notice. It seemed like they didn't and were fully immersed in their conversation. Paul decided a little listening in wouldn't hurt.

"You're back to hanging with that douche?" Jacob said once he was on her side of the fence.

"He's a good guy, Jacob."

"Well did you ask him about Jared and Sam?" He stopped in front of the steps. Kourtney took a seat on the top step.

"I did and he seemed annoyed that I asked. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was mad." Jacob nodded. He regarded what she told him as some kind of confirmation that he was right. "I told him Jared was a bad influence and he kind of side stepped the comment."

"He's been brainwashed!" Jacob cried.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jake."

"Something's up with those three, Kourt."

"Jake-"

"I saw Embry with Paul and Jared earlier. I wouldn't be surprised if he started eating lunch with them on Monday."

"Come on, Embry would never ditch you and Quil," Kourtney told him.

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

"You're worrying about nothing. Trust me." Jacob shook his head.

"I'll see you around, Kourt."

"Bye," Kourtney said. She didn't know what else to say. Jacob's mind seemed made up about Paul and Jared. Once Jacob disappeared into Quil's house, she took that as her cue to get back inside her own house.

.-~*~-.

"Hey, you," Kourtney greeted Paul the second he entered the school. He smiled. It was one of his favorite parts of his day. The other parts being anytime he spent with Kourtney.

"Hi," he said. He headed over to his locker. Once opened, he stared blankly into it. He was still feeling tired and his brain couldn't seem to remember what he needed. He didn't even remember which period school was in.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head to tell his brain to wake up.

"You look tired."

"Cause I am."

Kourtney looked concerned.

"What are you doing? You missed school yesterday. Then you come extra late today."

"What class-"

"History." Paul reached for his history book. "Thanks."

"Why are you always so tired?" Paul didn't say anything. "Are you getting sick again?" she asked in a low voice.

"No," he said. "Kourt, I'm not sick okay? That was a onetime thing. I'm not dying or anything like that."

Kourtney's eyes were wide from his outburst.

"Sorry," he said, softening his voice. "Just know that I have no chance of being sick like that again, okay? So don't worry about me."

Kourtney nodded. Paul closed his locker and headed over to Kourtney.

"Have you seen Jacob Black around?"

"Uh, no, not yet. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Why?"

"I just need to talk to him about something."

"Really?" she asked surprised. "What about?"

"Are you always this nosy?"

"I'm not nosy, just curious. You probably have never spoken one word to him and now you want to talk to him about something."

"Yeah, I guess you talk to him more than I do, huh?"

"Well, he's almost always over at Quil's. Plus, we got close when Cody and Rebecca dated."

"What were you two talking about on Friday? I saw him come up to you as I was driving away."

"Who's the nosy one now?"

"Just curious." Kourtney laughed. "So?"

"So, uh, well, nothing." Kourtney broke eye contact with him. "I mean, it was just small talk. He was waiting for Quil."

Paul continued to look her and she continued to avoid his gaze. He was hurt that she would lie to him. He was also mad. He was mad that Jacob Black, of all people, would start planting doubts in Kourtney's head. The fact that she was lying to hide her conversation with Jacob also added to his anger.

 _Why can't I just fucking tell her?_ Paul screamed in his mind.

The frustration was setting in. Sam was still commanding him to keep Kourtney in the dark until it was the right time. For Paul, it seemed now was the right time. Things were going good between him and Kourtney. They were back to actually talking and hanging out. What more did Sam want? Paul felt his arms start to shake. He straightened up and began to walk away.

"Paul?" He ignored Kourtney. Staying even another second would set him off.

.-~*~-.

It was lunchtime, only an hour after Paul stormed out. Kourtney couldn't help but feel she did something wrong to make Paul leave so suddenly.

"Are you okay?" Christy asked as Kourtney took her seat beside her.

"Yeah."

"Kourtney…"

"It's Paul. I think he's mad at me," Kourtney said.

"Why? What happened?" Kim asked, catching what Kourtney said.

"I have no idea. One second we were talking, then he just seemed to get mad over something and left!"

"What were you guys talking about?" Christy asked.

"He was just asking about Jacob Black. He saw me talking to him and he was asking about what we were talking about."

"There you go!" Christy cried. Kourtney looked at her questioningly. "He's jealous you talked to Jacob!"

Kourtney saw Kim roll her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure it's not that," Kim said. "Did you tell Paul what you and Jacob were talking about?"

"Yeah," Kourtney began. "I mean, I told him we just had small talk. I didn't exactly give him the details."

Kim nodded.

"He was probably trying to see if Jacob asked you out or something."

"Just call him," Kim suggested. "Text him or something to see if he's okay. I'm sure he'll appreciate you reaching out to him."

Kourtney nodded.

"Fine, listen to her," Christy replied. "I guess she is closer to Paul than I am."

Kourtney whipped out her phone and dialed Paul's number.

"It went straight to voicemail."

"I'm sure he's fine," Kim insisted. "You'll hear from him by the end of the day."

.-~*~-.

 _Who the hell does he think he is? He's making Kourtney doubt me! Now Sam has more of a reason to keep me from telling her! I should tell her now!_

Paul phased after speaking with Kourtney. As usual, Jared was patrolling. Paul knew Sam wouldn't take over until later on.

 _Paul, just don't worry about Jacob Black._ Came Embry Call's voice.

 _Shit, I forgot you were part of the pack._ Paul thought.

 _Thanks,_ Embry replied.

 _You'll get used to him,_ Jared said. _I meant Paul, by the way._

Jared and Embry laughed.

 _He's getting suspicious!_ Paul continued. _What the hell do you think he's gonna say once he sees Embry hanging around with us?_

None of his two pack brothers answered.

 _He's gonna prove to Kourtney that he was right and Kourtney is going to start questioning me!_

 _Yeah, she's already asking questions to Kim¸_ Jared shared.

 _Why won't Sam let you tell her?_ Embry asked.

 _He wants to make sure that Kourtney won't freak and tell. Paul didn't exactly start off on the right foot when he imprinted on her._

 _Right. Imprinting…_ Embry was still trying to get used to everything. Imprinting was something he didn't worry too much about. He wasn't going to worry about it until it happened.

 _She won't tell!_ Paul insisted.

 _Paul!_ All three shifters froze at the sound of their alpha's voice. Sam was phased. _Do not tell!_

 _I won't!_

 _Just…wait a few more weeks. Telling her now might freak out her. She might end up telling Jacob Black._

 _Yeah, but doesn't Billy know about us?_ Embry asked. _He loved telling us about the legends. I'm sure he knows._

 _He does. But he doesn't want Jacob to know unless he turns, too._

Paul half wished that Jacob would turn. Then he would eat his words about them being a gang. Then Paul would be able to kick his ass without worrying about killing him.

 _Enough Paul! Focus on you and Kourtney. I'll worry about Jacob Black._

.-~*~-.

When Kourtney got home, the sun was already setting. After calling Paul for a third time and not receiving a single reply on the texts she sent, she decided to drop by his house. Mr. Lahote was surprised to see her. After informing her that his son was not home yet, Kourtney asked for him to pass on the message to call her.

Kourtney got a surprise when she pulled up to her house. Paul was leaning against his pick-up, arms crossed, waiting for her. The second she saw him, Kourtney's concern was replaced by annoyance. She got out of her car and walked to her house, not even acknowledging Paul.

"So you blow up my cellphone and now that I'm here at your house, you're just going to ignore me?" He called out, pushing himself off his truck. Kourtney only spun around when she heard him following her.

"Okay, first of all, I did not blow up your cell phone. I called you maybe twice."

"You called me more than that," he said. Kourtney dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"And second," she continued, "you ignored me first."

"That's why you're mad? Because I ignored you?"

"I'm mad because I spent the whole day wondering what the hell I did wrong to make you mad and to ignore me. You not picking up your damn phone so we could talk did not help either."

Paul started to smile.

"Are you seriously smiling at me right now?" she asked, annoyed.

"You missed me."

"Bye, Paul!"

"Wait!" Paul caught up with her and tried to catch her arm.

"You're such a jerk," she said, shrugging him off.

"I'm sorry! Hey, Kourt! Wait!" Paul decided to step in front of her, blocking her from walking. He gently held on her arms to make her face him, but she only looked away. "I'm sorry okay? I'm just teasing."

Paul gently tilted her chin back so that she was looking at him.

"Okay then," she said. She crossed her arms. Paul dropped his to his sides. "Now, tell me what I did to make you mad."

"I…uh," Paul began. He sighed. "It was nothing. It doesn't matter." He saw Kourtney's eyes narrow at him again. Paul took a chance and pulled her into a hug. "I was just in a bad mood this morning. I'm sorry!" Kourtney was surprised at this action. The right side of her face rested on his chest and she could smell his scent. Kourtney could feel her heart pounding loudly and it was in sync with his. She wondered if he was feeling the same type of butterflies she was feeling in her stomach. Kourtney slowly wrapped around his waist. Paul smiled and he let his chin rest on top of her head. I

"I'm sorry for worrying you," he said. Kourtney pulled away and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I wasn't worried."

"Right. You just missed me." Paul continued teasing. There went the famous Kourtney Hunt eyeroll.

"Go home, Lahote." Kourtney gave him a little push. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Not in your dreams?"

"Shut up, Lahote!"

"That's my line!" Paul called to her as he slowly backed up the walkway.

Paul continued to smile. He stayed and watched as Kourtney reached the front door. She gave him a final wave before disappearing into the house. Paul started for his truck but stopped when the front door of Old Quil's house opened. Jacob and Quil stepped out onto the porch. The two seemed unaware that Paul was watching them. It wasn't until Jacob made his way down the porch steps that Paul's presence was known.

Paul stared him down and Jacob did the same. A few thoughts rushed into Paul's mind. The first being to just beat the shit out of Jacob. The second being to confront Jacob and maybe scare him a little to keep him from talking to Kourtney again. The third was to just leave him alone. He knew the first two options would land him in hot water, not just with Kourtney and Sam, but possibly Old Quil. While he hated the thought of just leaving Jacob alone, he knew it was the best. Paul felt proud himself for the moment's decision. Remembering the embrace he just shared with Kourtney was enough to keep him from doing anything rash. He walked towards his truck. He didn't say a word or even acknowledge Jacob as he passed by his truck. As he drove home, Paul replayed his moment with Kourtney. He wondered if Kourtney was slowly starting to consider him as more than a friend.

* * *

 **AN:** Another step closer! Halloween is around the corner in La Push. What will be in store for Kourtney and Paul? What do you think will happen next?


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the week passed and it was the weekend again. Kourtney, Christy, and Kim walked out the doors of the high school.

"I'll see you girls!" Christy said. "Kim, are you and Jared still driving up to Port Angeles tomorrow?"

Kim nodded.

"Okay, call me! We can double date!" Kim nodded.

Kourtney and Kim continued walking down further to the parking lot. She saw that Jared was parked right next to her car. He got out when he saw them. Kourtney stood by as Jared walked up to Kim and gave her a kiss. She saw how lovingly he looked down at her as he wrapped an arm around her. He planted another kiss on her head.

"Hey, Kourtney!" Jared greeted.

"Hey, Jared."

"Long time no talk," Jared said. Kourtney nodded. Although she had seen him around after school, she hadn't spoken a word to him since the homecoming dance. "How have you been? How's the wrist?"

"Good," Kourtney said. She lifted her arm. "It's been healed for a few weeks now."

"How's Paul? Is he behaving himself?"

"I heard my name," Paul cried. All three turned to see Paul making his way towards them.

"I was just asking Kourtney if you've been behaving yourself around her!" Paul glared at Jared while Kourtney stared at the ground. Kim smacked Jared on the chest.

"Ow!" Jared cried, although it barely hurt. "I was just kidding! It's okay Kourtney, you can look up now. I won't embarrass you."

Another smack. Kourtney couldn't help but laugh at the couple in front of her. They were cute together. Their love for one another just seemed to radiate with how they looked at one another.

"Anyway, you two should come with us to Port Angeles tomorrow!" Kim cried. Paul and Jared exchanged looks. "Christy will be up there visiting her boyfriend again. So we can all hang out."

"Paul can't," Jared said, looking at his girlfriend.

"Why not?" Kourtney asked looking at Paul. "I thought you said you were free this weekend."

"I am. I mean, I was. But remember we planned on working on our project tomorrow?" Paul reminded her.

"You guys can do it on Sunday!" Kim said.

"Yeah! Let's just do that! Christy's been asking me to go up to Port Angeles with her to meet Derrick, but I never wanted to be the third wheel."

"Yeah, that happened to me once," Kim said. "Not fun. But now, Paul can come and keep you company! Plus, you'll like Derrick. He's really nice!"

"So are we all gonna ride together?"

"No!" Paul and Jared cried together. The girls looked at them.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Jared told Kim. "But, we should plan another Port Angeles trip with them some other time."

"Yeah, I don't really feel like leaving the res this weekend," Paul said. "I think I should just stay."

Kourtney watched as both guys stared at Kim.

"What-"

"Oh! Right," Kim said as if she just realized something. "We should definitely plan for some other time then. Unless you still want to go Kourt?"

"No, it's okay," she said. "Fifth wheeling is just as bad as third wheeling."

"Yeah, we'll wait until next time when Paul is free to keep you company." Jared winked at her. Kourtney heard Paul mutter something causing Jared to just smirk at him. Kourtney looked from Paul to Jared.

"Are they always this weird?" Kourtney joked. Kim laughed.

"Maybe next weekend we can go," Paul said. Jared let out a laugh.

"I give it another two weeks." Paul looked amused. "Still adjusting better than you though." Paul frowned at Jared.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kourtney finally asked. The two guys looked at Kourtney.

"Uh, nothing," Jared said. "You ready to go?"

Kim nodded her head. Jared, with an arm still around Kim, started to walk her to the passenger door.

"Paul you need a ride?" he asked. After slamming the door shut he popped back around the Jeep. "Actually, I take that back. Kourtney can give you ride." He wriggled his eyebrows once again, earning an eyeroll from Kourtney and a glare from Paul. He hopped behind the wheel and gave a wave. The two watched as the red Jeep pulled out from the parking space. "Don't be afraid to slap him if he doesn't behave, Kourtney!"

"I'm gonna kill him," Paul muttered. Kourtney laughed.

"Yeah, Jared does seem so much more mature." Paul laughed. "So, I guess I'll be giving you another ride."

"I guess so," Paul said. Paul started walking towards the passenger's seat.

"Hey, you two!" he heard Kourtney call. He looked up and saw Jacob and Quil approaching. His eyes narrowed at Jacob who did the say to him. You guys heading home?"

"Yeah," Quil answered.

"Need a ride?"

"No, it's okay," Jacob said automatically. Kourtney looked from him to Paul.

"Are you sure, Jacob?"

"Yeah, we can walk." Jacob started walking away.

"Where's the third musketeer? He's still not sick, is he?" Kourtney asked as Quil followed behind Jacob

"Why don't you ask Paul?" Jacob called over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Kourtney, but we'll just walk!" Quil gave her a wave and caught up with Jacob.

"What was that about?" Kourtney asked as she got in her car

"I don't know," Paul replied, buckling his seat belt.

"You know he's scared of you or something."

"Good," Paul said with a smile. Kourtney gave him a look. Paul threw his hands up. "I didn't do anything to the kid! I don't know why he's always acting like that around me."

Kourtney sighed. She backed out of the parking space. "He… Nevermind."

"What? You know something that I don't?"

"It's stupid. It's silly. I think it's ridiculous." Kourtney focused on the drive.

"What?" Paul prodded. Kourtney glanced at him, wondering whether or not to tell him.

"Don't say anything to him, okay?"

"I don't talk to him."

"Well, young Black is under the impression that you and Jared are members of a gang that Sam has started."

Kourtney braced herself for Paul's reaction. She was quite surprised when he let out a big laugh.

"So, I take it you're not mad?"

Paul tried to talk, but laughter soon took over again. Kourtney continued to drive as Paul continued to laugh.

"Shit. That shit was funny," Paul said wiping his eyes. Kourtney rolled her eyes. "Gang. That's rich."

Kourtney slowed to a stop in front of his house.

"Thanks for the ride again. And the laugh," Paul said as he started cracking up again. Kourtney couldn't help but laugh with him. She hadn't heard Paul laugh like that in a while.

"Okay, seriously, Paul. I know it was ridiculous, but you can't tell anyone," Kourtney said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Paul began unbuckling his seat belt, trying to keep from laughing some more. Kourtney leaned over and grabbed his arm, making him stop. Her face was inches from his.

"Promise me," she said. "Don't tell anyone, okay? Especially Sam or Jared!"

Paul tuned out what she was saying. He couldn't concentrate on anything but the fact that her face, her lips were so close to his. The last time they were this close he did the unthinkable and kissed her. He felt himself moving closer.

"Paul!" Kourtney cried, smacking him on the chest.

"I see you're learning a thing or two from Kim," Paul joked, leaning away from Kourtney. He quickly opened the door. He was fighting the urge to kiss her again.

"Promise!"

"Yeah, I won't tell," Paul quickly said. He grabbed his backpack and headed up to his house. He went inside and waited until her car disappeared down the road. Then he stripped down and ran into the woods.

Immediately his thoughts went to kissing Kourtney.

 _You kissed her?_ Embry's voice asked.

 _Leave!_

 _I've been trying. Still can't get unphasing down!_

Paul felt the frustration in his thoughts. He sympathized with him. Even after being a shifter for almost two months, Paul still had a hard time.

 _Thanks._ Embry thought, knowing Paul understood what he was going through. _So…you kissed her?_

Paul sighed. Jared and Sam did tell him he had to embrace the fact that his thoughts were like an open book now.

 _No. I wanted to. So bad._

 _And you didn't because?_ Embry asked. _If I were you, I would've just kissed her! Do you know how many times I've imagined kissing Kourtney?_

Paul growled.

 _I'm kidding!_ Paul knew he wasn't. Embry's crush on Kourtney was common knowledge within the pack. _I'm just saying you had a chance. You missed out._

 _We're just friends._ Paul thought.

 _But I thought you imprinted on her._

 _I did. It doesn't mean she's automatically ready to be my girlfriend. Or that she even wants to be._ Paul didn't mean to think the last part, but he did and now Embry knew one of Paul's fears.

 _Why wouldn't she?_ Paul sighed. In a span of a minute, Paul was able to relay Embry the main points that happened between him and Kourtney.

 _Damn, I thought the whole Leah-Sam-Emily triangle was complicated._

 _At least Sam is able to be with Emily now,_ Paul thought bitterly. Embry stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say. It seemed everything he said so far just made Paul's mood worse. He was relieved when Sam phased in to check on them.

 _Embry you think you can phase back on your own?_

 _Yeah_ , Embry tried to sound confident.

 _You think you can control your phasing?_

 _Yeah!_

 _Good. Old Quil thinks you should be good to go back to school on Monday._ Sam told him. _That could change if any accidents or incidents occur over the weekend, but I think you'll be fine._

Embry cheered in his mind.

 _Embry, you know that you can't hang out with Jacob or Quil, right?_

At the mentioning of Jacob, Paul thought back to what Kourtney said. He quickly stopped when he remembered what he promised.

 _What was that?_ Sam asked.

 _Nothing. Just something Kourtney made me promise not to tell._ Sam didn't think to push the issue.

 _You and Paul need to stick together now. You two watch each other. Paul knows the drill, so if you need his help, just get him. Old Quil or Billy will smooth anything out if you get in trouble at school. But that doesn't mean you can just start trouble and expect to be off the hook, understand?_

 _Yes sir!_

After laying down more rules, Sam phased back, leaving Paul and Embry again.

 _So…_ Embry began. _Does Kourtney hang out with you during lunch too?_

.-~*~-..-~*~-..-~*~-.

Kourtney walked into school and was surprised to see Embry Call leaning on the wall beside the senior lockers.

"Hey you," she greeted. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a lot better!" Embry said.

"Where are the other two?"

A look of sadness flashed over Embry's eyes. It was replaced within a second.

"Hey, Paul!" Embry suddenly cried. Kourtney looked over as Paul walked towards them. Paul seemed annoyed at the sight of Embry.

"Hey, Embry," he said. "Hi, Kourt."

"Hi," she said, looking from Paul to Embry. Seeing them together was strange for her. She watched as Paul walked to his locker, Embry trailing behind him. Kourtney waited for Paul who seemed to be having an argument with Embry. The bell rang. "Paul? You ready?"

Paul shut his locker and the two guys walked towards her.

"See you at lunch, Kourt!" Embry said.

"Get to class!" Paul told him, putting his arm around Kourtney's shoulders and leading her away.

"What's he talking about?" Kourtney asked.

Paul only shrugged. It wasn't until lunch time came that Kourtney got the answer to her own question. As soon as she walked into the cafeteria, she noticed Embry sitting with Kim and Paul at their usual table.

"I told you." Kourtney jumped at Jacob's sudden appearance beside her.

"Jake!" she cried. Paul and Embry immediately looked up from where they were sitting. Jacob offered no other words. He glared at Paul and didn't even bother to look at Embry. He turned around and exited the cafeteria. "Wait!"

"Don't bother, Kourt," Quil said as he passed by her. "I'm starting to think Jake is right. If you don't think the same…well, just be careful when you're with them."

"Quil," Kourtney began, taking a step to follow him. A hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Paul.

"Everything okay?" he asked. Kourtney only nodded. She let him lead her to their table.

"Hey, Kourt!" Embry greeted cheerily. Paul rolled his eyes.

"Hi." Her greeting wasn't as warm as she wanted it to be. A part of her felt bad for Jacob and Quil. A part of her was upset with Embry. And another part of her was starting to get suspicious. She remained quiet during the whole lunch period. When the bell rang for the end of lunch, Kourtney clutched onto Embry.

"Walk with me," she said, pulling him along.

"Uh-" Embry looked back at Paul who seemed just as puzzled as he was. Kourtney navigated them through the small crowd. She was aware of the stares she got. Then again, Embry seemed to have sprouted since she last saw him so she was certain they were most likely gawking at him.

"So," Kourtney began. "What happened between you and the other two?"

Embry stopped walking and took back his arm.

"My class is that way," Embry pointed behind him. Kourtney ran and stopped him.

"What's going on, Embry?"

He sighed. "Things change, okay?" It wasn't the first time she heard that before. If she remembered correctly, Paul said something similar to her.

"Embry, come on, you have known them ever since you were little."

"I gotta go-" Embry said as he side stepped her. He ran out the front doors giving Kourtney a sense of familiarity.

"Kourt!" Paul made his way out of the cafeteria. "What's- Wait, where's Embry?"

"He left."

"Shit." Paul ran out the doors. Kourtney didn't even bother to see where he was going. She knew that he was going to end up missing the rest of the day.

When Paul showed up at her house after school, Kourtney wasn't surprised. She opened the door wider without a word and walked to the kitchen. He followed shortly.

"So, we need to talk," he said leaning against the counter.

"About?" Kourtney asked.

"Embry's still kind of upset over what happened."

"Oh, you mean him ditching his two very best friends out of nowhere?"

"Kourt-"

"Why _is_ he suddenly hanging out with you?" Paul sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Kourtney waited for an answer.

"Look, Kourt," Paul said. "Can we make a deal?"

Kourtney crossed her arms. "What deal?"

"A deal where you don't ask about why Embry is suddenly hanging out with me or why he's no longer hanging with his friends and in exchange…"

"And in exchange what?"

Paul groaned. "I don't know. What do you want?"

"To know why Embry suddenly-" Kourtney laughed.

"Babe, just stop!" Paul's eyes widened at what he just said. Kourtney held the same shocked expression. "Uh, I-I. Sorry."

"It's fine," Kourtney said quickly. "Let's just…drop it." The two stood in awkward silence.

"I, uh, should go. I'm gonna go." Kourtney only nodded her head. Paul rushed out, not waiting for Kourtney to show him out. She could only stare after him, still rooted to her spot. When she heard the door close, she finally moved. She let out a breath. For some reason, her stomach felt like she had been doing cartwheels. Kourtney let out another breath. She found herself wondering why Paul Lahote was making her feel the way she did.

.-~*~-.

Paul got out of his truck. He waited a second for Embry to hop out of the passenger side before walking towards the school. They walked in silence. A night of patrolling together was more than enough for Embry to see everything that went on in Paul's mind, and vice versa. Just as Paul reached for the door, he heard a scream. It was unmistakable to him that it belonged to Kourtney. Paul rushed through the doors, pushing anyone who got in his way.

"Kourtney!" he cried out. He halted when he saw Brian and Kyle standing around Kourtney.

"You assholes!" Kourtney cried, prompting Paul to make his way to the small group.

"What's going on here?" his voice boomed. Brian and Kyle whirled around. Both boys had on masks.

"It's for the Halloween video!" Nate told him, holding his camera up. "I'm gonna edit it and show it at the party this Saturday. You gonna be there?"

"Nate!" hissed Brian from under his mask.

"No, I don't think I can make it," Paul said, making sure to keep focused only on Nate. He was the only other guy Paul could tolerate. Brian and Kyle on the other hand, Paul already punched their faces in a few times in his mind.

"Aw, too bad," Nate said. "If you change your mind though, make sure to stop by!"

"Can I come?" Embry asked. Nate looked over at Embry. Despite being a grade younger, Embry stood taller than Nate. Paul was only taller by a couple of inches.

"Sure," Nate said uncertainly. Brian elbowed Nate who retaliated by pushing Brian.

"Seniors only," Brian said beneath the mask. He walked over to his locker, Kyle following him, as usual.

"He can't make it anyway," Paul said sternly looking at Embry. Kourtney opened her mouth, but remembered Paul's proposed agreement and the awkward moment that followed. She shut her mouth.

"Well," Nate turned to Kourtney. "Hunt?"

"I'll be there," she said with a smile.

"All right!" Nate cried, excitedly. "Hunt's in!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes and a few of the seniors whooped and hollered.

"Keep the shots away from, Kourt!" Kyle cried. "Remember what happened last time!"

Paul noticed Kourtney stiffen at what Kyle said. She knew he was talking about what happened between her and Alex in his SUV after the homecoming game. Although nothing happened, people made up their minds not to believe the truth. She felt her cheeks redden and she buried herself in her locker.

"What happened last time?" Embry asked.

"Aww, just kidding, Hunt!" Brian cried, seeing her hide. "I mean, everyone has probably done things they regret when they're drunk!

Kourtney slammed her locker and stormed away, not wanting to hear any more of the teasing.

"Come on, Kourtney!" Brian yelled.

"You guys are such assholes," Leslie said, frowning at them.

"Hey, we weren't the ones who snuck away with an ex," Kyle said.

"What was that?" Paul asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Not your business, Lahote," Kyle said. Paul took a step forward, but Embry held out an arm to stop him. Paul only shoved it away.

"You should check on Kourtney," Embry told him quietly. "I think she needs you more than these guys need an ass whooping."

Paul sent one last glare at Kyle before taking off to look for Kourtney.

"That's right, walk away!" Kyle called after him. Embry looked at Kyle and pretended to lunge at him. He laughed when Kyle flinched and stepped back into Brian. He walked away, still laughing, as the two seniors tried to hurl insults at him. Embry enjoyed his growth spurt courtesy of his shape shifter genes. He knew that he caught more attention from the girls and a few of the senior football players were even scared of him. Embry relished the attention, after all, being a shapeshifter did cost him his two best friends. He felt as though he was owed something to make up for that.

.-~*~-.

Paul took the seat behind Kourtney.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said.

"Lahote, get out of my seat," Christy said once she saw him.

"Switch with me. Just for today."

Christy placed a hand on her hip.

"Come on, please?"

"Paul, I don't want to talk about it," Kourtney told him. Just thinking about it made her want to throw up. The bell rang and their teacher walked in.

"Paul!" Christy cried. Paul reluctantly gave up the desk and went back to his original seat. He tried to focus on the class lesson, but his mind kept wandering back to what Kyle had said. He thought back to when the last senior party was. He knew there was always and after party after the homecoming dance, but he knew for a fact that Kourtney didn't go to that one. But there was the party after the homecoming game which was strictly for the football players and the cheerleaders only. There was a big chance that Kourtney had gone to that. Paul felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized that Alex might have gone to that party too. That along with Kyle's teasing and Kourtney's reaction made Paul think of something he didn't want to even think about.

Paul felt his desk shake. He realized that he had been gripping the edge of it and his arms were shaking. The bell rang and Paul quickly got up. He saw Kourtney already heading out the door. He caught up with her, earning an expletive from Christy who he unintentionally pushed over.

"Kourt," he said.

"Paul, I-" She was silenced with surprise when Paul took hold of her arm and pulled her to the side.

"What the hell was Kyle talking about?" Kourtney shook her head.

"I said I-" she stopped when she looked up at Paul. His eyebrows were pulled down together and his brown eyes were intense. Kourtney felt unnerved.

"What happened?" Paul asked. His voice was low, but held an edge.

"I, uh-" Kourtney felt frightened. Paul's anger was practically radiating off of him and Kourtney was scared to tell him what happened.

"You and Alex..." Paul started for her. Kourtney bit her lip and looked down. Paul felt his arms start shaking even more. He let go of Kourtney and ran. Kourtney's chest felt heavy.

"Kourt, what's wrong?" Kim asked. Kourtney drew a shaky breath. "What happened?"

Kourtney couldn't talk. The feeling in her chest intensified. Kourtney felt the tears fall. She opened her mouth but only a sob came out.

"Did something happen with Paul?" Kim asked, showing concern. Kourtney only nodded. She knew Paul suspected something. She knew Paul was angry…at her, and it hurt her. The only thing she didn't know was why it was affecting her so much.

"Come on, let's go." Kim ushered her towards the girl's bathroom. "Embry!"

"What's up? Kourt? Are you okay?"

"I think something happened with Paul," Kim told him.

"Where is he?"

"Obviously not here," Kim said. Embry nodded and turned on his heel. He felt a shot of adrenaline rush through him.

"Walk, Mr. Call!" He heard one of the teachers say. Embry ignored them and continued running down the hall. He almost collided into Quil, but he quickly dodged him and ended up pushing Kyle into the wall. Embry smiled and ran out of the school.

* * *

 **AN:** What did you think? I did kind of go off course on my outline with this chapter and added a few more things. It won't affect my original idea for the fanfic though! I guess I just wanted to stir things up a bit between the two friends. ;) I would love to hear what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

Kim laid on her couch, cuddled in Jared's arms. It was her favorite part of her day, spending time with her boyfriend. Jared leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. She smiled up at him. He leaned in again, this time placing a kiss on her lips. Kim pulled away when she heard her cell phone ringing. Jared looked annoyed with the interruption.

"It's Kourtney," she told him. He looked even more annoyed. "Hello?"

" _Hey Kim!"_

"Hi, Kourtney. How are you feeling?" Kim glanced at Jared. His eyes were back to the TV, but she knew he was listening in.

" _I'm…good."_ Kim could tell she was lying. Before she could offer comforting words, Kourtney began talking again. _"Have you heard from Paul…or anything?"_

Jared looked at Kim.

"Uh, no, I haven't."

" _Oh, okay,_ " Kourtney said, sounding disappointed. _"I was just wondering. He hasn't really gotten in touch with me…at all…today."_

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Kim heard Kourtney sigh.

" _I don't know, Kim. I just feel… I don't know. Paul's mad at me and I have a pretty good idea why. And for some reason…it's upsetting me. He was really mad at me. You should've seen him, Kim…"_ Kourtney paused and there was sniffling on her end. _"I think I hurt him…"_

"Kourtney, don't cry! It'll be okay."

" _I'm sorry. I should go."_

"No, it's alright, we can talk if you want," Kim told her. She frowned at Jared when he rolled his eyes. She knew he was siding with Paul.

" _Thanks, Kim, but I think I'll just go and work on some homework. I'll see you tomorrow."_

Kim hung up and threw her phone at her boyfriend.

"Don't be mean, Jared." He thought better than to reply. "I feel bad for her."

"I feel bad for Paul!" Jared cried. "He's really upset. He's not even pissed anymore. He's upset! It's weird seeing him upset and not mad."

Kim sighed.

"What is he upset about? Some rumor? He doesn't even know what really happened."

"Do you?" Jared challenged.

"No. I mean, I _heard_ what happened, but I don't believe it."

"Paul didn't believe it at first either, but after hearing what Kyle said-"

"Kyle was just being a jerk. He was teasing her and probably exaggerating!" Kim argued.

"Babe, I saw what Paul saw and heard in the hallways. If that had been me, I would be thinking the exact thing that Paul is right now."

"Kourtney and Alex did not have sex in his car!" Jared shook his head and turned his attention back to the TV. He didn't want to get into a fight with his girlfriend, especially over his friend's imprint's sex life.

"Jared," Kim began, sitting back on his lap. "I know Paul is your friend, but Kourtney is mine, okay? And Kourtney is just as upset as Paul is, I think."

Jared stayed quiet.

"Do you think it's because of the imprint bond?" Kim asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Kim shrugged.

"I don't know. It's just that…it seems like Kourtney is feeling whatever Paul is feeling. Maybe their imprint bond is getting stronger or it's bringing them closer together."

It was Jared's turn to shrug.

"I don't know, babe. Old Quil doesn't really know too much about this whole imprinting business, either. All I know is that those two are just damn complicated."

"Well, I hope things will soon become uncomplicated for them. They're good together."

.-~*~-.

The address that Devin gave Paul led him to a house at the edge of Forks. The dirt road branched off the highway. Paul had to drive another half mile down the dark path until he saw a house with cars parked all around it. He didn't like how close it was to the forest. It was only two days ago that Embry caught the scent of a couple of vampires. The pack had been busy trying to track them since. It was one of the reasons why Paul hadn't been to school or had the time to talk to Kourtney. The other reason was because he was still quite upset.

Paul parked his truck closest to the road. He didn't want to get blocked in. He just wanted to get Kourtney away from the party and back home as quickly as possible. Paul had patrol earlier that afternoon and once he phased back and walked to Emily's, he realized that he had a lot of missed calls from Devin. Apparently, Kourtney was drunk and Devin was concerned with the amount of attention she was getting from a few of the boys from Forks High School. It was enough to make Paul push aside how upset he was.

Paul walked towards the house. He could feel the vibrations from the music coming from inside the house. It almost drowned up the noise generated by the partygoers inside. Paul crinkled his nose as smell of marijuana hit him. He hurried inside the house. Once inside, he stopped to scan for Kourtney or Devin.

"Paul!"

"Devin, what happened? Where's Kourt?"

"Over there. I think she had a little too much of the Jell-O shots. Can't blame her though, it tastes so good! You can barely taste the alcohol!"

Paul walked towards where Devin pointed out; he didn't like what he saw. Kourtney sat on top of the kitchen island, talking to a guy who was standing too close for Paul's comfort.

"Hey, Kourt!" he said, approaching her.

"Lahote! You're here!" Kourtney hopped down from her spot. She ran towards Paul and jumped, flinging her arms around his neck. Paul enjoyed the embraced. He shot a look at the guy Kourtney had been talking to. He was already moving on to talking to another girl. Paul put her back down and disentangled her away from him.

"We should get you home," he told her, grabbing her hand. Paul's face snapped to the right. He looked at Kourtney in shock.

"Oh, shit," Paul heard Devin say beside him. Kourtney's cheerful face was now replaced by a look of anger.

"That was for making me cry! And for…making me mad and for making me feel the way that you did!"

"Kourt-"

"And for not calling me!" She crossed her arms.

"Kourt, now's not the time. You're drunk! Let's just go back to the res."

"Have a drink first!" She turned around and walked back to the island. She quickly mixed a cup of Jack and Coke then offered it to him.

"No, I'm good."

"Fine, more for me!" Paul shook his head as Kourtney drank from the red cup.

"Okay, that's enough." Paul took away her cup and gave it to Devin.

"Thanks for calling, Devin. Her dad's gonna be pissed." He turned back to Kourtney. "Come on, Kourtney, your dad knows about this party and he could come any minute now and you and everybody here will be in big trouble."

"Damn, I'm outta here, then!" Devin said.

"Help me with her," Paul said.

Devin took hold of Kourtney's right arm, while Paul took her left. He was glad when she didn't protest. He looked down at her and he could see that the alcohol was starting to hit her hard.

"Water," Paul said. "They got water here?" "There's bottles in the fridge," Devin told him. "I'll get one."

"Make it two," Paul called after him. He turned to Kourtney who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. "You feeling okay?"

He cupped her face in his hands.

"Yeah, I feel great!" she slurred.

"That's what alcohol does," Paul chuckled.

"Here," Devin said, appearing with two bottles in hand. Paul took one and opened it. He brought the spout to her lips and Kourtney sipped a little bit.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Devin asked. Paul nodded.

"Yeah, we'll probably be right behind you. Thanks again!"

"Anytime, Lahote!" Devin handed him the other bottle. "Kourtney, take care of yourself!"

"Bye, Devin!"

"Let's go, Kourt."

"You just got here!" Kourtney exclaimed.

"Did you not hear me just now? Your dad-"

"Only has jurisdiction on the res. We are in Forks, Lahote."

"Yeah, Lahote," a guy said. Paul knew he was another Forks High student.

"Here, bud," the guy said, handing Paul a shot glass filled with amber liquid. "Lighten up! We're just having fun!"

"He doesn't drink anymore!" Kourtney told the guy. "But I'll take it!"

"Uh-uh," Paul said, taking the shot glass away from her. "Leave!"

The guy took the shot and cast a dirty look at Paul before walking away.

"Kourtney, please let's go!"

Paul took her arm and started leading her away.

"The room's spinning," Kourtney told him. She leaned in towards him. Paul placed his arm over her shoulders and Kourtney wrapped her arms around his waist. "I need to lie down."

"You can lie down in the truck."

Paul walked her over to his truck. He opened the passenger side door. Kourtney tried to step up and completely missed the side step. Paul caught her as she almost tumbled over.

"Damn it, Hunt," Paul muttered.

He picked her up and carried her into the passenger's seat. Her head instant fell back on the headrest. He pulled on the seat belt and leaned over her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes closed.

"Buckling you in," he told her. "You're trouble, you know that?"

Kourtney laughed.

" _You're_ telling _me_ I'm trouble? Well, Paul Lahote, if I'm trouble, what does that make you?"

Paul couldn't help but laugh. She still had her eyes closed, but she had a smile on her face. He took a second to admire her before running over to the driver's side and getting in. His truck roared to life and he eased it back onto the dirt road.

"What are you doing? Can you drive a little smoother?" Kourtney asked, placing a hand on her head.

"Sure, let me just take the time and try to avoid the thousands of pebbles and dips on the dirt road."

Kourtney groaned. He slowed his truck down in hopes to minimize the bumpy ride. As he pulled onto the main highway, he picked up speed. Feeling the smooth road underneath them, Kourtney felt slightly better. Her head was still spinning, though. She unbuckled her seatbelt and proceeded to lie down. She moved Paul's arm and used his lap as her pillow. She placed his hand on her cheek.

"Mmm, so warm," she muttered.

Paul smiled with amusement. She was wearing him down; the anger he felt towards her slowly disappearing. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and she smiled. He kept his eyes on the road, but would glance at her every now and then. He was a mix of emotions. He enjoyed being this close to Kourtney and having her hand on his. At the same time, he was just as concerned about how drunk she was. Then the fact that her being drunk reminded him of the last party she went to…

"Kourt?" Paul said.

"Hmm?" she eventually answered.

"What happened at the party?"

"Brian heard my dad was on a hunt for the party, so he called up a few guys from Forks-"

"No, not tonight's party. The one after the homecoming game."

"Hmm…well, I think I remember Brian and Nate throwing Kyle into the pool," Kourtney said. Paul shook his head.

"No, I meant with Alex," he exasperated. He took his hand off her and placed it on the steering wheel.

"Alex? He cheated on me." Paul realized it was no use talking to her while she was inebriated. "My first love went off to college and had sex with the first girl he saw."

Kourtney suddenly sat up. She covered her face with her hands.

"Shit, Kourtney, please don't cry!" Paul said. He didn't know what he would do if Kourtney started bawling right then and there. It might just set him off and then he'd have to leave an upset, crying, drunk Kourtney on the road by herself.

Kourtney laughed.

"I'm done crying for that asshole. I was wrong when I thought he was the one." Another laugh. "Good thing I had the sense not to sleep with him."

Paul looked at Kourtney in surprise.

"You mean at the party, right?" Paul asked, wanting to hear the clarification he needed.

"Like, ever," Kourtney said.

"What? You and Alex never…"

"Slept together? Had sex? No. Never. Despite the rumors-" Kourtney stopped. "That was why you were mad, wasn't it? You believed what everyone was saying."

Paul cleared his throat.

"Uh, well-"

"Seriously Paul?" Kourtney cried.

"I'm sorry-" Kourtney scooted away from him and crossed her arms.

"Some friend you are, Lahote. I can't believe you'd believe them over me. You didn't even ask me!"

"I tried! You said you didn't want to talk about it, so I assumed-"

"You assumed that because I got drunk I'd automatically have sex with the guy who cheated on me!"

"I, well, Kourt," Paul stammered.

"Pull over," Kourtney commanded, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"What? Come on Kourtney. I'm not going to pull over. We're halfway to the res! You can't walk-"

"I think I'm gonna throw up!" Paul immediately slowed his truck down on the shoulder. Kourtney opened the door and Paul was by her side in a flash.

Paul scanned beyond the trees. He didn't smell any vampires, so he knew they were safe…for now. Kourtney's gagging turned his attention back to her. She was bent over, trying to throw up. He grabbed one of the water bottles and handed it to her.

"Here, drink some water," he said. Kourtney took it from him and took a big gulp. She immediately spit the water back out, getting Paul in the process.

"What the-"

"It's alcohol," Kourtney said, giving him back the bottle. She began gagging again.

Paul could smell it the alcohol on him now. He emptied the bottle and flung it into the forest. Kourtney groaned and rested her head on the side of Paul's truck. She took deep breaths, hoping it would help keep her from throwing up. She felt a hand on her back.

"You okay?" Paul asked, as began to rub her back. Kourtney closed her eyes, wishing that the ground would stop spinning her around. "Kourt?" She groaned as she straightened herself up.

"I'm never drinking again," Kourtney grumbled.

Paul let out a laugh. She turned around to face Paul.

"Not funny," she said as she made her way to the front seat.

"It kinda is," Paul told her. "It'll be even funnier tomorrow."

Kourtney steadied herself before attempting to climb into his truck. Paul hoisted her up into her seat before she could move.

"I may be drunk, but you don't have to baby me," she said, holding a finger to his face.

Paul rolled his eyes as he pushed her hand away. He made a move to buckle her seat belt in like before.

"What did I just tell you?" she cried as she pulled on the seat belt. She brought it across her body and fumbled for the buckle. Paul sighed. He reached over to help. "Stop! I almost have it."

She pushed him away and went back to struggling with the buckle. Paul sighed again. Ignoring her protests, he leaned across her again to buckle her in. Kourtney crossed her arms and Paul gave her a smirk.

"You know," Kourtney began, turning to look at Paul. "You drive me crazy."

Paul gave her a smile.

"Right back at you, Hunt," he said.

The two held their gaze on one another. There they were again, close, with only inches between their faces. Kourtney's eyes flicked from Paul's eyes and to his lips. He froze as he realized that Kourtney was slowly leaning in. Paul felt himself lean in, too, but stopped himself. She was drunk and not in her right mind.

"Kourt," he said, stepping back. He instantly regretted it but knew he couldn't kiss her while she was drunk.

"I don't feel-"

Kourtney suddenly leaned out of the truck. Paul jumped back as she threw up. He groaned.

"I wanna go home now," Kourtney said.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's go home."

He was definitely not going to kiss her now.

* * *

 **AN:** I apologize for slowing down on my updates! I'm already a few days behind with my other fanfic, too! It just has been hectic here! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

**P: How you doing sunshine?**

Kourtney groaned upon reading the text. She was feeling the worst she'd ever felt. Her head felt heavy and now, thanks to her dad's insistence of an early morning jog on the beach, her legs and body hated her. She slid deeper under her covers as the volume of her parents' arguing increased. The topic of that day's argument was about her and how she should be punished for going out to a party and consuming alcohol underage.

She turned back to her phone.

 **K: What the hell happened last night? Please don't tell me I did something embarrassingly stupid!**

Paul laughed as he read Kourtney's text.

 **P: You threw up on me.**

Within seconds, Paul's screen lit up with Kourtney's name.

"Hello?" he answered.

" _I am so sorry!"_ Kourtney exclaimed. Paul bit back a laugh.

"You should be. You ruined my shoes and my jeans. Not the most attractive that I've seen you, Hunt."

"Shut up, Lahote." Paul finally let his laugh out.

"I'm just kidding Kourt. You did throw up, just not on me."

" _Are you serious?"_

"Yeah."

" _So…nothing embarrassing? Or stupid?"_

Their almost kiss instantly flashed in his mind. The feeling of regret came over him, but he quickly pushed it away by reminding himself that he did the right thing.

"Nope," he answered. Paul decided it was best to save Kourtney from feeling embarrassed for her actions while she was drunk.

Kourtney let out a sigh of relief.

" _Thank goodness,"_ Kourtney said. " _Anyway, thanks for bringing me home. I remember you showing up at the party, but don't remember much after that. My dad did tell me you got me home safe and sound._ "

"No problem. Was your dad pissed?"

Kourtney sighed.

" _Probably more disappointed than anything. My mom, on the other hand, is livid. My punishment is the topic of discussion right now. But, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm exhausted and I think I will just sleep the rest of the day."_

"Alright then. See you."

Paul hung up his phone.

"Why didn't you tell her about her trying to kiss you?" Embry asked.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Paul exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him. Embry dodged it.

"Can't exactly turn my superhearing off."

"Then leave the room while I'm on the phone!"

"Why didn't you leave?" Embry cried, throwing the pillow back at Paul. Sam caught it before it could hit Paul. He gave the two teenagers a look.

"Sorry," they both mumbled.

"Jared's on patrol," Sam told them. "It's been a couple of days since the last time we caught a scent. I think it's safe to say that they've moved on from La Push."

Paul and Embry nodded.

"Paul, how's Kourtney?" Sam asked.

"Hungover." Sam had a look of disapproval on his face.

"I'm just glad you got her out of there before something bad happened."

Paul nodded. He felt the same way. Sam seemed to have more to say. Paul was spared the lecture when Emily announced that lunch was ready.

.-~*~-.

The shrill ringing of her cell phone was like nails on a chalkboard to Kourtney. She felt around for her phone. She squinted at the screen to see if it was worth answering. _Marianne_. Kourtney wondered if she was dreaming.

"Hello?" she answered uncertainly.

" _I heard you left the Halloween party with Paul."_

Kourtney sat up. Marianne's accusing tone put her on the defense.

"He came to take me home," Kourtney explained.

" _Home being his truck?"_

"Marianne-"

" _Is that your thing now Kourtney?"_ Marianne continued. _" Getting drunk at parties and sleeping with the first guy who'll take you to his car? You and Paul are made for each other. He's a pig and you're the girl that-"_

Kourtney felt like she just got slapped in the face. Without saying another word, she ended the call. Marianne's last words still echoed in her ears. She felt tears come to her eyes. Being alone in her room, her safe haven, Kourtney let her tears fall.

.-~*~-.

The following day, Kourtney entered the school and immediately she knew something was wrong. Several students stared at her while some avoided making eye contact. When she got to the senior lockers, she saw Brian glance at her direction. He didn't offer a smile like he usually did.

"Hey, Kourt," Christy said. She gave her a small smile.

"Hi, Christy," Kourtney said, noticing Christy's cautious approach. She lowered her voice. "What's going on?"

Before Christy could answer, Kayla and Moni appeared in front of Kourtney and Christy.

"Hi, Kourt," Kayla greeted. "I heard you had a great time at the party on Saturday."

It all clicked for Kourtney.

"And I'm guessing one of you, or the both of you, were the ones who called Marianne, right?"

"You know she still loves him!"

"Yeah, and they would've been back together by now if you weren't trying to take Paul away from her."

"Away from who?" Paul asked as he approached the group.

Moni and Kayla squirmed uncomfortably.

"Away from who?" Paul repeated.

"No one," Moni said quickly. She and Kayla quickly left.

"That's what was going on," Christy told Kourtney. "But I guess you heard?"

Kourtney nodded.

"Heard what?" Kourtney and Christy exchanged looks.

"It's nothing," Kourtney said. Christy quickly nodded in agreement.

"Just those two being…themselves."

Paul looked from Kourtney to Christy. He knew it was more than that. He walked into the school and heard Kourtney asking if they were the ones who called Marianne. He didn't want to push it if it involved his ex-girlfriend. He was moved on and just because she wasn't, it seemed like no one else wanted him to be moved on either. Even Kourtney. He wondered what the hell the imprint bond even did if it still made Kourtney hope for him to get back with Marianne.

"Okay," he said.

Paul walked over to his locker. He was hoping that Kourtney and Christy would talk about whatever it was some more, but saw the two walking away. Paul had sinking feeling in his stomach. Kourtney usually waited for him. He hoped that things weren't changing for them again.

Paul got to class and took his seat behind Kourtney. There were still a few minutes left before class would start and students were still trickling in. He leaned over his desk.

"Kourt," he whispered. Kourtney turned her head slightly to the left.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Paul gave her hair a slight tug. Kourtney whirled around to glare at him. He only smiled.

"Tell me what's going on. What the hell was that at the lockers?"

Kourtney sighed. She glanced at the other students in the room. She leaned in closely.

"Are you sure nothing happened the night of the party?" she whispered.

Paul had a serious look on his face.

"Paul?"

Paul sighed and covered his face.

"Okay, I didn't want to tell you…"

"Paul, what happened?" Kourtney asked frantically.

"I was driving you home…and I pulled over…" Kourtney held her breath. "…so you can throw up at the side of the road."

If looks could kill. Paul ducked as Kourtney tried to hit him.

"You are such a jerk, Lahote!"

Paul tried stifling his laugh, realizing that Kourtney's outburst caught the attention of the other students.

"I am never drinking again," she muttered.

"Yeah, you pretty much said that, too."

Kourtney glared and opened her mouth.

"Good morning class!"

Kourtney only stuck out her tongue as she turned to face the front of the class.

.-~*~-.

"Hey guys," Kourtney greeted Kim and Christy as she sat down at their lunch table. The two cousins greeted her back.

"Okay, so I need details of what happened at the party," Christy told her.

"Christy," Kim warned.

"Nothing happened," Kourtney said. "I just…drank too much and Paul came to take me home."

"And?" asked Christy expectantly. Kourtney looked at her questioningly. "Did you finally confess your love for him?"

"No! I don't really remember much…" Kourtney admitted.

"Paul called me and asked me to help him take care of you," Kim said.

"Really?" Kourtney asked in surprise.

"Yeah, you were covered in throw up and I guess he wasn't comfortable with changing you." Kourtney blushed. "He waited in the living room while I helped you. Your dad didn't tell you?"

"My dad didn't say much to me actually."

"Oh no," Christy exclaimed.

"Yeah," Kourtney said. She rested her head on her hands. "I am officially swearing off alcohol."

"I think it's better if you swear off being anywhere near Kayla and Moni. They might go and tell on you to Marianne." Kourtney scoffed. "I can't believe they called her and told her that you left with Paul!"

"They did?" Kim asked bewildered.

Kourtney nodded her head.

"And Marianne ended up calling me last night. I tried explaining to her that Paul was just my ride home."

"But?"

"But she was quite adamant in believing those two. So I just hung up on her."

"It seems like she's quite adamant in believing things that weren't true. Like the fact that Paul doesn't want to get back together with her. She needs to get a clue."

"She obviously still has feelings for him despite what happened," Kourtney said, feeling a sudden need to defend Marianne. "There's still a chance for them."

"Maybe you need to get a clue, too," Christy told her. "Paul obviously has feel-"

"Hey, you," Embry said, interrupting their girl talk. He took a seat next to Kourtney, leaving Paul to see on his other side. "So I heard about the party-"

Kourtney slammed her hands on the table, startling all her friends.

"I am going go outside and get some fresh air. Clear my hand and what not," she told them as she stood up. Paul began to stand to, but a kick to the shin from Kim made him sit back down. He glared at her and she only shook her head.

"Still hungover huh?" Embry jokingly called to her. Christ threw a French fry at him as Kim proceeded to kick him in his shin too. "Ow! Hey!"

.-~*~-.

"Kourt-"

"Hey, Paul! So, I have other homework to work on today. Is it okay if we meet at the library tomorrow instead?" Kourtney rushed as she gathered her books from her locker. She was ready to leave when Paul stepped in front of her, stopping her.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing!"

"You've been avoiding me."

"I'm talking to you right now. We had lunch together today. And yesterday, and the day before that."

Paul sighed.

"You barely said a word to me at all today. Unless it was about school," Paul told her. Kourtney shifted uncomfortably. "It's been like that for the past few days. What's going on?"

Kourtney knew better than to look at him, but she did. She noticed how his eyes pleaded her for answer.

"Okay, Marianne called me over the weekend."

"What happened now?" Paul sighed, knowing whatever it was, wasn't going to be good for him.

"Well, she said that I was the girl that, and I quote, gets drunk at parties and sleeps with the first guy who would take her to his car."

Paul shook his head.

"Don't listen to her. I know you're not like that." Kourtney gave a small smile.

"Well, apparently that doesn't mean much since she said that you are a pig and we are supposedly made for each other." Paul straightened up.

"Wait, what?"

Kourtney shrugged then sighed.

"I don't know. I'm assuming she is no longer interested in getting back together with you?"

Paul gave a dramatic sigh of relief.

"Finally!"

Kourtney smacked him. Paul didn't even react.

"Don't be mean. You were the one who hurt her."

"And that I feel completely guilty for, as I've told her many times. I also told her that she's not the one for me."

The words rang a bell. Kourtney's face scrunched in thought.

"I said the same thing about Alex…" she said, more to herself. Her eyes looked up at Paul's. "Paul, this will the third and last time I ask, so be honest! What happened on Saturday?"

Paul crossed his arms and his shoulders sagged. He debated whether or not to come clean. He sighed in defeat.

"Okay, look…"

"No more playing around, Lahote!" Kourtney warned.

He took a deep breath.

"You tried to kiss me…"

"What?" screamed Kourtney, attracting the attention of several students near-by.

It only took a look from Paul to make the students turn away and return to their own business.

"I kissed you?" Kourtney whispered.

"You tried to," he explained. In wanting to lighten in the mood, he continued, "then you threw up."

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because…it was nothing," Paul told her with a shrug. "You were drunk and I knew you'd be embarrassed. I mean, I didn't care that you tried."

Kourtney looked at Paul; he could see a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"And when I asked you the second time?"

"I heard the rumors, too, Kourt. If I told you then, I knew you would freak out even more and do this."

"Do what?" Kourtney cocked her head to the side

"Distance yourself away from me…again," he said in exasperation.

Kourtney could see the sadness in Paul's eyes. He was right. She was pushing him away again because of rumors and because of Marianne, who she decided as no longer her friend. She needed to let the thought of reconciling as friends go.

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely. "You're right."

"I'm what?" Paul asked, leaning down. He pointed to his ear. "I think I may have misheard you. Did you just saw that I was right?"

Kourtney gave a laugh.

"You are a-"

"Jerk," Paul finished for her. Kourtney rolled her eyes. "And there goes the eyeroll."

"Okay, you can stop now," she told him as she began to walk away. Paul followed beside her.

"It's not my fault you're predictable." Kourtney smacked him on the arm. "Damn, I think you should stop hanging out with Kim. You're getting too abusive like her."


	20. Chapter 20

Paul parked his truck in front of Emily Young's house. It was the unofficial headquarters and hang out spot for him and the rest of the pack. It was secluded from the other residents and was right on the edge of the forest. Plus, Emily always had food ready for them. She was also someone that the guys grew to trust and confide in.

By now, everyone in the pack plus their imprints knew everything that went on between Paul and Kourtney. But, Emily was always the first to know since Paul would go to her first whenever something happened.

"Smells good, Em," Paul called out as he entered through the sliding door. It was his way of announcing himself. He helped himself to a plateful of food. He was already halfway done when Emily descended from the upstairs.

"Hey, Paul," she greeted. She ruffled his hair as she went to make herself a cup of coffee. "Sam's out patrolling already. Are you running with Jared today?"

Paul nodded as he scooped the last piece of food in his mouth. He stood up and took his dish to the sink. It was a rule that Sam established for everyone to clean up and wash their dishes to save Emily the trouble.

"You know, Emily, I was thinking…" Paul called from the sink.

"Uh oh!" Emily said.

"Do you think I should ask Kourtney out? Like on a date?"

"Wait, what?" Emily asked. She got up from her place at the table and joined Paul in the kitchen. "Can you run that by me again?"

"Do you I think should ask Kourtney out on a date?"

Emily hesitated. Even though she was rooting for the two friends to eventually get together, she wasn't sure Paul should rush it. She knew Paul was over Marianne and from what she heard from Kim and Paul, Kourtney was more than ready to move on from Alex Skye, the scum bug.

"She said she's given up trying to fix her friendship with Marianne," Paul continued.

"Really?" Emily asked in surprise. "When did this happen?"

Paul quickly relayed what Kourtney told him about her conversation with Marianne.

"She said that to Kourtney?" Paul nodded, clearly he wasn't happy about it.

"So? What do you think?"

Emily sighed. She sipped on her coffee. She thought carefully of what she was going to say. It was one of the reasons Paul enjoyed talking to her. She knew Paul was quick to react to what people said, so she took the extra time to consider what and how she spoke to him.

"Honestly, Paul. I think that you should wait just a little bit more." Paul groaned. He was done washing his dish and made his way back to the table. Emily followed closely behind. "I know what you're thinking, though. You think that because Kourtney has decided not to be friends with Marianne anymore, you think she won't feel as guilty if she were to date you."

Paul nodded.

"But, she _just_ decided that. I say you should wait until she starts sending some kind of signal that she is ready or open to dating you."

Paul thought over what he was just told. It made sense. He didn't like it; he didn't want to wait. He was tired of waiting. He would never say it out loud, but everyone knew he was scared that another guy would beat him to asking Kourtney out.

"Another thing," Emily continued, bringing Paul's attention back to her. "There's the issue of Sam."

Paul groaned. When he first phased, Paul found out what Sam thought of him. He, too, heard about the rumors of Paul Lahote. After getting to read some of Paul's thoughts, Sam wasn't as surprised to realize that a few of the rumors were true. When Paul imprinted on Kourtney, Sam didn't even bother to hide his dismay. Paul didn't know why Sam was singling him out; he wasn't the only virgin in the pack. Then again, both Jared and Sam were in serious type relationships when they had their first time. Paul's was with a girl he met at a party.

"He knows I wouldn't hurt her."

"I know. But you do know he is close with Kourtney's brother. Since Cody's not around, Sam thinks it's his job to kind of fill in Cody's role as a big brother. That's why he's protective of her, okay?"

"Emily, I would never do that to her. I mean, unless she was ready-" Emily gave him a look. "Okay! I haven't even thought about that-" Another look again. Paul groaned. "Look, right now, all I'm thinking about is trying to move past being friends. All that other stuff-"

Emily held up her hand and shushed him.

"I don't want to know," Emily said. Paul closed his mouth. "You know, you should invite her over some time. I'd love to meet her!"

"You'll love her," Paul told Emily. He knew the change of subject meant that Emily already shared her opinion and she wasn't budging. He reluctantly decided to follow Emily's advice. However, Paul did decide that the second Kourtney showed any interest in being more than friends, he would ask her out right then and there.

.-~*~-.

"I mean, technically, she's not your _girlfriend_ just your _girl friend_."

"Shut up, Call!" Paul cried for the third time that morning. Why he had to carpool with Embry, he didn't know. Embry had his own set of wheels and a driver's license. Why Sam thought them carpooling would be a good idea, Paul couldn't understand.

"I'm just saying. I have a good chance as you of dating Kourtney!" Embry argued.

"Yeah, keep dreaming," Paul said. "I imprinted on her."

"What does that even mean?" Embry asked. "I think this whole imprinting thing is BS!"

Paul laughed. It was exactly what he thought a couple months ago, too. Then he saw Kourtney for the first time after his first phase.

"Just wait until you imprint," Paul said.

"Yeah, yeah. But since that's yet to happen and you two are obviously still in the friends stage of imprinting-"

"You do not have a chance with Kourtney," Paul said. "Like at all."

"Wanna bet?" Paul looked at Embry and laughed.

"Are you serious?"

"I bet you that I can get Kourtney to go on a date with me before you can."

Paul shook his head.

"You're just gonna embarrass yourself," Paul told him.

"Come on, Lahote! Just a little competition between pack brothers. I bet you that I can score a date with Kourtney by the end of _this_ week!"

"By the end of this week?"

"Yeah," Embry said, nodding his head. "I'm not just gonna ask her out! I gotta romance her first. I gotta make her slowly fall for me."

Paul laughed again.

"Alright, fine. I take that bet. There is no way in hell Kourtney will go on a date with you!"

"Wager is to take over a week of patrol," Embry said, stretching out his hand. Paul took it and shook it. He took the left turn into the school parking lot. "Day one of Operation Hunting!"

.-~*~-.

"Hi, Kourt," Embry cried as soon as Kourtney stepped out of her car. He gave her a smile and waved. Kourtney smiled and waved back. She leaned on her car as if waiting for him.

"Can you cut that shit out?" Paul asked irritably.

"I'm just saying hi to her," Embry told Paul. It was day three of Embry's Operation Hunting, and he was actually making some type of progress. For the past two days, Embry walked Kourtney to every single one of her class. He even carried her books for her and everything. Paul was amused at first, but when Kourtney barely spoke to Paul the following day because she was busy talking to Embry, his amusement changed. But he wasn't going to lose the Embry.

"Hey, Embry," Kourtney greeted. Paul rolled his yes. "Hi, Paul."

"Hey," Paul muttered.

"Are you alright?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, just tired," Paul said. "Actually, I'm exhausted. I was up all night trying to get my homework done. I think I'll just turn it in late."

"The homework isn't due until this Friday," Kourtney told him.

"What? Man, I literally spent all night working on that shit."

"It's okay," Kourtney told him, placing a hand on his arm. "I can help you. We have a couple of days left to work on it."

Embry narrowed his eyes at Paul who only smirked at him.

"Let's get inside, Kourt. It's getting cold," Embry said, putting an arm around Kourtney.

Kourtney nodded in agreement. Paul growled as he watched Embry lead Kourtney into the school. Even though he already had plans to derail Embry's Operation Hunting, he still didn't like seeing him all over Kourtney. Once they entered the school, Paul called out to Kourtney.

"If homework isn't due until Friday, then what are we doing in class today?"

"Paul, we have the test," Kourtney told him. She stopped walked and faced him. Embry looked at Paul.

"Test?" Paul asked, blankly. "Shit!"

"Are you serious, Lahote? You didn't study at all?" Kourtney asked.

"I was busy working on the homework! Kourt, you gotta help me study!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes. She grabbed Paul by the arm and led him towards their first period classroom. Paul looked back and gave Embry a smirk.

"Damn it, Paul!" Embry muttered. "It's on, then!"

"Embry!" Kim called. She stopped next to him. "So…how are things going?"

"Paul's trying to sabotage me," Embry told her. Kim rolled her eyes.

"Why are you even doing this? You know those two are eventually going to get together."

"I know," Embry said. "But as of now, they're just friends, right?"

Kim shook her head in disbelief.

"Trust me, Kim. I know what I'm doing," Embry said with a mischievous smile.

"What are you up, Embry?" Kim asked.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney and Paul walked into the cafeteria and saw that their friends were already at their usual table.

"Where were you?" Embry cried. "I was waiting for you!"

"Sorry," Kourtney told him. "You can blame Paul."

She took a seat next to Embry while Paul sat on her other side. She leaned forward, resting her arms and head on the table. Embry glared at Paul who only shrugged.

"I didn't know that mentioning the issue of legalizing marijuana would send Mr. Joseph into a long ass lecture," Paul said.

"Are you kidding?" Christy said. "Literally, everyone knows that."

Paul shrugged again.

"Are you alright, Kourt?" Kim asked from across her. Kourtney straightened up and stretched.

"Yeah, neck and shoulders are just bothering me today."

"A massage is what you need," Embry said as he moved his hands over Kourtney's shoulders. "Luckily for you-"

"Touch her and I will break every single bone in your hand, let it heal and do it all over again," Paul hissed at Embry, not even thinking about the fact that Kourtney heard him loud and clear.

Embry took his hands away from Paul and scooted away from Kourtney. As much as he wanted to push Paul's buttons, he knew there was a truth to Paul's threat.

Kourtney glanced at Paul, who was still glaring at Embry.

"Ow!" he suddenly cried out. He glared across the table at Kim.

"Oops, sorry," Kim said.

"What the hell, Kim?" She gave him a look. Her eyes briefly went over to Kourtney. It was then that Paul realized what Kim was trying to say.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Paul, can you come with me to the lockers?" Kourtney asked. Paul flashed Embry a smile.

"Sure," he replied, as he swung his arm over her shoulders.

"What the hell is going on?" Kourtney asked him as soon as they were out of earshot.

"What?" Paul asked.

"I heard you threaten to break Embry's hand."

Paul rolled his eyes.

"You know that he's trying to ask you out right?"

"What? No!"

"Why do you think he's suddenly walking you to class? He's trying to butter you up!" Paul exclaimed. They reached the lockers, but it was clear that Kourtney just wanted to talk. She leaned against her locker and Paul stood in front of her.

"Okay, I figured something like that was going on. I didn't know he was going to ask me out! I knew he had a crush on me, so I thought I'd just…play along."

"Wait, so you led him on?"

"I didn't lead him on!" Kourtney protested, even though a part of her knew she did. "I didn't mean to. Like I said, I knew he had like a little crush on me and I thought it was cute. If I knew it would make him want to ask me out then I would've nipped that crush in the bud!"

"That's pretty messed up, Kourt," Paul told her, although he was smiling. He knew Embry was going to lose the bet. He was also relieved because for a second, he was worried that Kourtney was starting to like Embry.

"Embry," Kourtney suddenly said, straightening up. Paul looked and saw Embry standing there, a look of sadness on his face.

"So you weren't really starting to like me?" he asked. Paul sighed. At that moment, he felt bad for Embry. While Kourtney thought that Embry had a little crush on her, Paul knew Embry genuinely liked Kourtney. At least to Paul it seemed like his crush grew during that whole week of Embry trying to ask Kourtney out.

"Come on, bro. I told you-" Paul began.

"I'm sorry, Embry!" Kourtney cried. She walked towards him, but Embry took a step back.

"It's okay, Kourt. I understand." He turned around and slowly walked away.

"Shit," Paul muttered. He wondered what Sam would say to him about this.

"I am the worst person in the world!" Paul walked over to Kourtney.

"No, you're not," Paul told her. "Just…he'll be fine. I'll talk to him, alright? I'm sure he'll be back to his old self tomorrow."

.-~*~-.

"Are you alright, man?" Jared asked and Embry entered Emily's house.

Two days had passed since he overheard Kourtney and Paul's conversation in the hallway. He spent the first day avoiding Kourtney and Paul. He was better the second day, especially when Kourtney went up to him and apologized again.

"Yup, I am better than alright!" Embry said as he sat down at the table and grabbed a muffin.

"I'm sorry, man," Paul said, for the sixth time. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's alright," Embry told him. "But you think you can take over my patrol tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure. I owe you, right?" Paul said, wanting to make up for what happened.

"Thanks, Paul!" Embry beamed. He caught Kim's eye and wriggled his eyebrows. Kim burst out laughing.

"Wow, you're good," Kim said. Paul and Jared looked from Kim to Embry.

"What?" Jared asked. "What's so funny?"

Embry polished off his second muffin and reached for a third. Jared look to his girlfriend who only smiled.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Paul asked Embry.

"Just having lunch with Kourtney," he shared. Paul stopped eating his muffin and looked up at Embry.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You are not."

"She said she felt bad for what she did and wanted to make it up to me," Embry continued nonchalant.

Jared howled with laughter.

"Dude, Call beat you to asking Kourtney out on a date!"

"Well, she asked me," Embry said, enjoying rubbing it in Paul's face. "She kissed me, too."

Jared stopped laughing. He looked from Paul to Embry and shook his head.

"Oh, Embry," Kim sighed. "Too far."

Embry looked at Paul. He could see Paul's arms start to shake.

"Run!" Jared told him.

Embry took his advice as Paul leapt from his chair and chased him out of the kitchen.

"It was just on the cheek!" Embry called out behind him.

.-~*~-.

It was Saturday afternoon and Kourtney was at the River's Edge Restaurant, having lunch with Embry Call. She never thought in a million years would she be on some type of date with young Call, but she was actually enjoying herself. They already finished their lunch, yet they were still seated at the same table, still talking and laughing.

Embry winced as his laughed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah," Embry told her. "It doesn't hurt as much."

"So, how did you run into a tree again?"

"Eh, I just wasn't looking where I was going." It was the truth. He had been busy looking behind him to see if Paul was catching up, that he ran right into a tree. He remembered the pain he felt of his ribs cracking. His pained howling was enough to keep Paul from attacking him even more. His ribs were fully healed, but some residual pain still remained.

Sam punished Paul by making him take over patrol the whole day. Embry felt bad since it was partly his fault for purposely annoying Paul. Yet, he didn't feel bad enough to cancel on Kourtney. It was probably his only chance to go on a date with her.

"So, what are your plans?" Embry asked. He leaned onto the table. As much fun as he was having, it was time to get down to get serious.

"Plans?"

"For college. Are you gonna follow your brother to Miami?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"I plan to just apply to colleges. See which ones I get in to and go from there. I did apply to the same college that Cody is in. So, we'll see, I guess."

"You wanna leave Washington, too?"

Kourtney slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'd like to. Definitely would like to move off the res, but like I said, I'm just gonna see which ones I get in to first and then go from there."

"Even if you were to move away, would you still visit?" Embry asked.

"Yeah, definitely. My parents would probably want me to. Honestly, as much as I want to get away from this place, I know I'll miss it. I'd come back for it time and time again for sure," Kourtney replied. She smiled. "How about you? Your turn to tell me more about yourself and your plans."

"There's not much to tell," Embry said shrugging. "I'm an only child. My mom is a single parent. I don't know who my dad is. No girlfriend. Don't even want to think about college yet."

Kourtney laughed at the last comment.

"Do you want to eventually move out of the res?" she asked. It was the one question that seniors were asked when it came to selecting colleges.

Embry shook his head.

"I actually like living here."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Embry told her. "I mean, I didn't realize it until recently, but I have a reason to stay. And I don't mind it."

"What's that reason?"

"Uh, my mom," Embry said quickly. "Yeah. I don't want to leave her by herself. And she loves it here so I doubt I'd be able to convince her to leave."

Silence settled upon them. Embry racked his brain for a way to continue the conversation to where he wanted.

"Do you ever think about finding out?" Kourtney asked him. "Who your father is, I mean."

Embry shrugged.

"I'm sure you've heard the damn rumors on who it could be."

"Yes, I have," Kourtney admitted sheepishly.

"I guess at this point, it doesn't matter. My mom did pretty well without his help. Whoever the hell my father is."

Kourtney smiled at him.

"Yeah, she did." Embry smiled back. He took a second to take in her smile. She really was one of the prettier girls at the school. She was also one of the nicer ones, too. Kim was also one of the girls that Embry thought to be both pretty and nice. Jared and Paul were lucky to have found their imprints so quickly. At times it made Embry jealous. He wondered when he would imprint and have what his pack brothers had. Of course, he hoped his imprinting process would be as simple as Jared and Kim's. He didn't want the drawn out process like Paul's and Kourtney.

Embry suddenly remembered why he was one a date with Kourtney.

"So," Embry said, clearing his throat. "I heard you and Paul met during hell week of your sophomore year and his junior year."

"Yeah…we did," Kourtney said slowly. The turn in conversation took her by surprise. "And how did you hear this?"

"From Jared, who heard it straight from the horse's mouth. The horse being Paul." Kourtney laughed. "How'd you meet exactly?"

Kourtney eyed him suspiciously.

"You really want to know that?" Embry nodded. The request was odd, but Kourtney went ahead with her story anyway. "Well, Marianne convinced me to join the cheerleading team. They were desperate for more members so we got in without even having to try out. Hell week comes around, Marianne has a family emergency and I end up showing to practice all by my lonesome."

"Then Paul introduces himself to you and the rest is history."

Kourtney nodded.

"Something like that."

"Did you know he liked you back then?" Embry asked, not missing a beat.

"Wow. I was not expecting that question." Embry smiled, then continued to look at her expectantly. Kourtney had to take a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Uh, well, I found out recently about that, him liking me back then. But I didn't know when we first met."

"What do you think would've happened if you knew?"

"I can't say, really. I don't-"

"I mean, you didn't like him or anything? Or at least were attracted to him?" Embry's questions were rapid fire.

"Did Paul put you up to this?" Kourtney asked. She looked around the restaurant to see if Paul was hiding out somewhere, eavesdropping.

"No, he didn't." Kourtney gave him a look. "Just answer the last question and that'll be it! I promise!"

Kourtney thought it over. If Paul was indeed using Embry to fish for answers, then maybe she could do the same for Jacob and Quil.

"How about, if I answer your question, you let me ask you a question. And you _have_ to answer!" Kourtney bargained.

"Deal!" Embry said. "So were you a little bit attracted to Paul when you first met him?"

Kourtney sighed. She bit her lip. She knew she had to answer, but she wasn't in a rush to do so. After all, she was getting ready to tell Embry something she never told anyone before. Not even her former best friend, Marianne

"Kourt?"

"Yes, I was attracted to Paul when I first met him," Kourtney finally admitted. Embry smiled triumphantly.

"Then why'd the hell did you go out with Alex Skye?"

"Ah-ah!" Kourtney said, wagging her finger at him. "That was your last question. Now, I get to ask one."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Why did you ditch Jacob and Quil?" Embry knew she was going for that question. Fortunately, he had an answer ready.

"Because I realized that I connected more with Paul and Jared."

"What? What does that mean? That doesn't count!"

"One more question to answer that question?" Embry offered. Kourtney rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. "My turn first! How'd you end up with Alex if you were attracted to Paul first?"

"Because…" Kourtney began. "I heard about him. All the rumors and stuff. Plus, I never thought Paul Lahote would even think or look at me in that way." Embry bit back a laugh. "Then school started, and along came Alex-"

"Who ends up asking you out before Paul could and two years later, he ends up being a lying, cheating asshole, all while Paul Lahote becomes a good friend of yours, continues to care about you, and has never hurt you intentionally," Embry said without a hitch. He watched ask Kourtney took a second to digest what he said. She cocked her head to the side, a small smile coming to her lips.

"Huh," she said. "I've never really thought about it like that."

"You're welcome," Embry said, giving her smile.

.-~*~-.

After dropping Kourtney off, Embry raced his car over to Emily's. From his car, he could hear voices inside the house, none of them belonging to Paul. It meant that Paul was probably still patrolling. Embry hopped out of his car and started to strip off his clothes. He ran deeper into the forest, concentrating on phasing into a wolf. Once phased, he heard Sam's voice.

 _Embry? What are you doing here?_ Sam asked.

 _If you came here to gloat-_ Paul began.

 _Bro, shut up. You owe me BIG time!_

* * *

 **AN:** What did you think? Embry did his part. Now, I wonder if another pack brother has something up his sleeve to help these two move along?...

I hope this will tie you readers over for a bit! I am a week behind on my other fanfic, so I think I may focus on that for the remainder of the week!


	21. Chapter 21

"Hi, Kourty!" Jared greeted when Kourtney opened the door.

"Don't call me that," Kourtney told him. He nodded and Kourtney stepped aside to let him in.

"Babe!"

"She's not here," Kourtney told Jared. "She and Christy went to the store to get more snacks for you."

Jared followed her into the living room. She took the armchair, knowing that the couple would need all the cuddling room they needed while watching the movie. Jared sat in the middle of the couch.

It was Friday night. For the past week, Kourtney had the house to herself after her parents took a spontaneous one week cruise. To avoid being alone for the whole week, Kourtney invited Christy and Kim to stay over. They all planned on having a girls' week, but Jared couldn't take not seeing Kim. So they decided to invite them to their movie night. At the urging of Kim, Kourtney invited Paul, but as it turned out, he already had plans.

"So it's just us two right now?" Kourtney nodded. Jared smiled and rubbed his hands together.

"What?" Kourtney asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, it's just now we can talk. Just you and me."

"Let me guess…Paul. We are going to talk about Paul."

Jared slapped his hand on the coffee table, making Kourtney jump.

"Bingo!"

Kourtney wasn't surprised that Jared wanted to talk about Paul. It was all he wanted to talk about. Paul was all Jared brought up whenever they talked after school.

"Okay, if we are going to talk, you're gonna need to tone down a bit."

"Sorry, I had a couple energy drinks. Stupid vam-" Jared stopped. He cleared his throat. "So…Paul." Kourtney waited. "What are you two exactly?"

"We are friends." Kourtney felt like she was on repeat.

"Friends? Are you sure you don't want to add to that?"

"Add what?"

"That you like him?" Jared said plainly.

"I do not like Paul Lahote."

"Come on! Not even a little? You think he's attractive though, right?"

"Damn it, Embry!" Kourtney muttered. She should've known that Embry would tell. She wondered if he told Paul, too.

Jared laughed.

"I can't believe he scored a date with you before Paul did." Kourtney rolled her eyes, but she smiled. It was pretty funny, only because of Embry's antics. Kourtney only recently found out that Embry had planned the whole thing. She fell for his guilt trip that resulted in her asking him out for a lunch date. "Seriously though, you can be honest with me. I won't tell Paul."

 _He'll just read my mind_ , Jared thought.

"Honest about what? I don't like Paul. At least not the way you want me to."

"But you are still attracted to him, though, right? He's tall. He's hot." Kourtney raised an eyebrow at him. "It's what all those girls are saying. I mean, all those muscles."

"Okay, you need to stop or else I'd be very worried for Kim."

Jared sighed in exasperation. He gave Kourtney a look. He wondered how Embry got her to even admit to anything about Paul.

"Alright, so you don't like Paul."

"How many times do I have to say it?"

"So…it wouldn't bother you if Paul started talking to another girl?" Kourtney shook her head. "You wouldn't get jealous or anything?"

"No!" Kourtney cried. The doorbell rang. "Finally!"

Jared let Kourtney answer the door. It gave him time to think about what to do. He needed to think of a way to get Paul to interact with other girls in front of Kourtney. It was a challenge. The damn imprint bond was working against him; Paul would never flirt or check out girls especially if Kourtney was around. He would have to just make it look like Paul was flirting with the girls.

Fortunately for him, there was an fundraising event going on at the high school the following day. He knew there would be visitors from Forks, possibly even as far as Port Angeles. If luck was on his side, there would be a few non-res girls that he can get to talk to Paul. Then he would just have to plant a seed in Kourtney's mind that Paul was interested in them. Jared smiled about his plan.

"Kim your boyfriend is so creepy!" Kourtney exclaimed as all three girls walked into the room. Kim and Christy laughed. They all took their places as Kourtney popped in the movie. Kim snuggled close to Jared.

"What are you up to?" she asked him in a low voice.

Jared gave her a smile.

"You'll see."

.-~*~-.

The following day was busy for the community of La Push. The members were all busy doing their part in making the annual fall fundraiser a success. All the small businesses of La Push had booths set up in the high school gym. Each grade level at the school also had their own booths. This year the seniors decided on a painting station. They thought it would be good to have a station where people could paint or have their face painted. Brian, surprisingly, agreed to even do caricatures of people; he was the most artistic out of all the seniors.

Jared arrived at the gym, carrying two tables with ease. Sam's fiancé, Emily Young, was having her own booth filled with home baked goodies. Since Paul and Embry had their own class booths to take care of, he was roped into helping Emily while Sam took his duty of patrolling.

"I'm over that way," Emily told him, pointing to the far right corner of the gym. Jared pulled the tables up and carried them over to the corner. After setting up the tables, Embry and Paul made their way over.

"Hey, Emily," Embry greeted as he took a muffin from the table.

"That's two dollars, Embry!"

"Put it on my tab?" Embry asked, already devouring half the muffin. Emily placed her hands on her hips and gave him a look. Embry grumbled but fished out a five dollar bill and handed it to Emily.

"What else can I get for my other three dollars?" Emily handed him another muffin and a cookie.

"Do you want anything, Paul?" Emily asked.

"No thanks, Em," Paul said shaking his head.

"Okay, then can you get the rest of the food out of my car? Don't eat any of it!"

Paul nodded and took her keys. He walked out to the parking. As he walked towards Emily's car, he scanned the parking lot for Kourtney's car. She and the other senior girls were still not there. He knew that the other senior boys wouldn't show until later since Kourtney already asked him to set up their booth. He already had the tables and chairs set up in their area. He had been there since early morning. He was helping his dad with the River Edge's booth since they were also selling food for the fundraiser.

He opened Emily's car and the smell of baked goods immediately hit his nose. He heard his stomach rumble. He grabbed a muffin and stuffed it in his mouth. He'd pay Emily double for it. He balanced the boxes on his arm.

"Those smell good," a voice said. Paul looked around and saw a girl with blonde hair stepping out of the van nearby. "Did you bake those?"

Paul smiled.

"No, my brother's fiancé did," Paul told her.

"You should stop by her booth later," Jared said as he walked up. "It's at the far right of the gym. You can't miss it. Paul and I will be there."

"Sounds good," the girl said, giving a smile to Paul. "I'll see you later, Paul."

"What are you doing?" Paul asked.

"Drumming up business for Emily!" Jared told him. It was a lie. He saw an opportunity to set up the beginning of his plan and he took it. He took a muffin and stuffed it in his mouth. "I'll take these. You take in the last table."

.-~*~-.

"Where's Paul?" Christy groaned. "I thought you said he was here to help."

"He said he would. He texted me this morning that he was already here. I think he's helping out his dad with the restaurant booth too," Kourtney told her as she shifted the box in her arms.

"Or he's helping himself to some girls."

Kourtney looked to where Christy was staring. Paul was at Emily's booth which for some reason had a small crowd of girls. Embry and Jared were there too.

"Typical Paul Lahote," Moni said. "I wonder which girl he'll be sleeping with tonight."

Kourtney rolled her eyes as Moni gave her a smile. Kayla laughed beside her. They headed for the senior's area. Paul looked up and met Kourtney's eyes. He smiled and waved at her. He started to jog his way over.

"Sorry, I didn't know you girls were here already," he said, taking the boxes from Kourtney.

"It's okay," Kourtney said. "I know you're busy."

"Yeah, Emily's baking is a hit!"

Christy laughed.

"Yeah, that's what it is." Kourtney smiled.

"What?" Paul asked. Kourtney looked at him, unsure if he really was oblivious to the fact that he, Jared, and Embry were the real reason why the girls were at Emily's booth.

"Nothing," she said as she made her way towards their booth.

Paul set the boxes down and Kourtney began to take out all of their supplies. Kim showed up a few minutes later. Pretty soon, the gym was full of people all wanting to help raise money for the La Push community. Many people from Forks were over, showing their support for their neighboring town.

Paul and Kourtney were sitting next to one another, taking charge of the money and overlooking things at their booth.

"Hi, Paul," a girl with blonde hair greeted.

"Hey, you" Paul said.

"I went over to Emily's booth and saw that you weren't there," the girl said. "You're working this booth too?"

"Yeah," he answered. "It's the senior class' booth."

"You're a senior?" the girl asked in surprise. "You are not! I thought you were in college or something."

Paul laughed. "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot."

"Let me guess, you're a football player?"

"Uh, I was," Paul said. "I had to quit the team."

"Oh no!" Kourtney fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm Kaitlyn, by the way."

The two exchanged handshakes.

"This is Kourtney," Paul said, resting his arm on the back of her chair. Kourtney gave Kaitlyn a smile.

"Nice to meet you." Kaitlyn smiled and nodded. She turned her attention back to Paul.

"Why did you have to quit the team?"

Kourtney, knowing that the girl had no interest in her talking to her, shifted in her seat to watch Kim and Jared, who were working beside her. She watched as Kim gently painted a heart on the cheek of a small girl. Jared was helping a little paint a space ship on paper.

"There you go, buddy! That's the best looking spaceship I've ever seen!" The boy gleefully thanked Jared before heading to his mom to show her his new masterpiece. Jared looked up to see Kourtney turned away from Paul who was conversing from the blonde girl from earlier. He got up from his seat and made his way to them.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt!" Jared said. "Paul, I think Emily needs help with something. You think you can help right quick?"

"You can't do it?" Paul asked.

"I'm helping Kim," Jared said, pointing back to his girlfriend.

Paul turned to Kourtney.

"Go ahead. Emily's by herself. I'll be fine on my own," Kourtney said with a smile. Jared cheered in his head and went back to his seat.

"Okay," Paul said, returning her smile. He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll be back. It was nice meeting you, Kaitlyn."

"You, too, Paul," she said. Kaitlyn waited until he was out of earshot. She pretended to take interest in the people that were taking their time to paint. She cleared her throat. "So…you know Paul?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"Oh, I see. He's not your…boyfriend or anything is he?"

Kourtney laughed.

"No, he is just my friend. That's it."

Kaitlyn smiled.

"He's cute." It was Kourtney's turn to smile. She simply nodded. "Do you know if he's single?"

Kourtney was surprised at the question.

"Uh, yeah. He's single."

"Really?" Kaitlyn seemed pleased with the answer. It bothered Kourtney.

"But, he just got out of a relationship," Kourtney quickly said. "They were together for two years so-"

"Me, too! Well, I was with my boy, er, ex-boyfriend for three years and we ended things just recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, don't be! It's freeing! I mean, everyone kept telling me we were too young to be so serious and I realize now that they're right! I mean, we are young and should be having fun."

Kourtney nodded at her rambling.

"How long has Paul and his girlfriend been broken up?"

"Uh, a few months now. He's still trying to get over it. He was pretty heartbroken over it," Kourtney lied.

"Well, I think I know how to help him get over it," Kaitlyn said with a suggestive smile.

"Yeah, he's not really the hooking up type."

"I'm sure I can change his mind."

Kourtney cleared her throat. Her annoyance for Kaitlyn was increasing.

"I mean, you can try. But I highly doubt you can. You're not exactly his type. He sticks to res girls."

Kaitlyn looked taken back by Kourtney's sudden change of tone. She finally took that as her cue to leave.

"What the hell was that?" Jared asked her.

"Hmm?"

"You're trying to keep the girl from sleeping with Paul."

"Yeah! I mean, look at her."

Jared laughed.

"Come on, Hunt. Just admit that you're jealous and you don't want her trying to talk to Paul."

"I am not jealous," Kourtney laughed. "She's not Paul's type anyway!"

"Are you sure about that?" Jared asked, crossing his arms. He nodded over to Emily's booth where Kaitlyn made her way over to. She chatted up Paul again and they were both laughing at something he just said.

"He's just being nice," Kourtney said as she straightened up her area.

"So that doesn't make you jealous?" Kourtney refused to look up. She busied herself with making another sign for their booth. "Kourtney, look! She is all over Paul." Kourtney ignored Jared. "Kourty!"

"Don't call me that!" she cried.

She sent him a glare and went back to her painting. However, she couldn't help but glance over at where Paul was. The blonde girl from earlier stood beside him, her hands placed on Paul's stomach as they posed for a picture. She watched as she continued to poke his stomach, asking if he worked out. Kourtney groaned at the lame line and rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Kourtney."

"Leave me alone, Jared! I'm trying to do something!"

"You have something on your face!"

"What?"

"I don't know. It's green…oh, it's just your jealousy."

Kourtney slammed her paintbrush down. Without thinking, she picked up the small can of paint and splashed it on Jared. Red paint flew everywhere.

"Kourtney!" Moni yelled, catching people's attention. "What the hell?"

"Sorry!" Kourtney said, throwing her hands up. "It was an accident."

The scene didn't go unnoticed by Paul. He was back at their booth in a flash.

"Everything okay?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, fine!" she snapped at him. "I'm just gonna go clean up."

"Jared?"

"Your damn imprint is so damn stubborn!" Jared told him. "I'm gonna run home and change."

.-~*~-.

Kourtney furiously scrubbed at her hands. She was feeling angry at Jared for being annoying. She was annoyed at Kaitlyn for not knowing how to take a hint. It was obvious Paul had no interest in her. The sudden change in water temperature made Kourtney yelp out. Her anger now went to the sink for not maintaining a warm temperature. She grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and dried off her hands. She balled up the paper towel and chucked towards the trash can. She let out a sigh of frustration. Kourtney wondered why she was feeling so upset and angry. Jared's taunting about her being jealous replayed in her mind.

"Stupid Jared," she muttered. Feeling like she needed to get some fresh air, Kourtney headed out of the bathroom. She collided with another body as she turned the corner.

"Sorry!" a voice said as Kourtney let out an, "Ow!"

She was ready to curse out the person.

"Hey, I know you!" Kourtney looked at the guy standing before her. He stood a few inches taller than her and his dark brown hair was up in spikes. His soft green eyes were trained on her face and his smile was sweet and friendly. It caught her off guard and her anger seemed to dissipate.

"I'm sorry, I don't-" Kourtney began when she finally found her voice.

"From the party! The Halloween party over at the Millers' place at the edge of Forks."

"Right! I remember the party…ish." The guy laughed.

"Yeah, I pretty much forgot most of the night. But not you."

Kourtney looked down, shyly.

"Scott," he said. He brought his hand out.

"Kourtney."

"Yeah, I don't think we exchanged names, but we toasted our drinks." Kourtney laughed.

"I'll take your word for it," she said, still not recalling meeting the guy.

"Were you going this way?" he asked, pointing to the doors leading to the gym.

"Yeah," she said.

"After you," he told her, gesturing her to go in first.

"Thanks. So what brings you here?"

"I just thought I'd check it out. I've lived in Forks all my life and have only been to La Push a handful of times. This is my first time setting foot at the high school though."

"Well, thanks for stopping by. You should stop by the senior booth," Kourtney said with a smile. "It's like a painting booth."

"I could do that. I like painting," Scott said.

"Really?"

"Of course I haven't painted since third grade," he joked. Kourtney laughed again. The sound of her laughter reached Paul's ears. He was at the senior booth still, waiting for Kourtney and still wondering what happened that had her so upset. He straightened up as he saw her laughing and talking with a guy. Paul squinted at the guy. Something about him seemed familiar. He knew he had seen him around before, somewhere. He tuned into their conversation.

"So, I heard there's this party tonight somewhere on the res. Are you going to be there?"

"I'm kind of staying away from parties for now. I think I still need to recover from the Halloween one."

Paul realized that the guy was the one who offered him a shot at the Halloween party when he was trying to get Kourtney to leave. He stood up and made his way over to them.

"I hope you change your mind. It'd be awesome to get to know you a bit more." Kourtney smiled.

"Hey babe!" Paul greeted. He swung his arm around Kourtney's shoulders and looked at the guy.

"Uh, Paul! Hi," Kourtney said uncertainly.

"Who's this?" Scott asked, sizing Paul up.

"I'm her boyfriend," Paul replied. Kourtney's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Huh. That's funny. She didn't mention having a boyfriend."

"I thought you said Paul was single," Kaitlyn said to Kourtney, as she joined the three. Kourtney didn't know what to say. She was still confused on why Paul was claiming to be her boyfriend all of a sudden.

"Uh, we were on a break. But we're fixing things, right, babe?"

Kourtney could only nod.

"Well Kourtney, if it doesn't work out with…Paul, here, you have my number right?" He gave Kourtney a smile and a wink.

Paul frowned at Kourtney who smiled back at Scott.

"She's not gonna call you," Paul said before Kourtney could answer. Scott ignored Paul as he walked away. "Bye."

Paul, with his arm still around Kourtney, led her back to the booth. Kaitlyn was left standing on her own. She gave a disgusted groan before walking over to her friends.

"What was that?" Kourtney asked as she shrugged off Paul's arm.

"Just helping a friend out."

* * *

 **AN:** I loved, loved, loved the reviews I got from the last chapter! I had fun writing it, especially Embry and Kourtney's "date." I am extremely pleased that you all enjoyed it too! I think it's the most feedback I have gotten on any chapter of this fanfic! It kind of put pressure on me with this chapter; I want it to be just as good! This chapter was getting a little long and I was excited to update for you all, so I did end up cutting it half so that you all had something to read while I worked on the second half! I hope I didn't disappoint! All your love for the last chapter just made me want to keep working on this fanfic rather than splitting my time with my other TVD fanfic! We'll see if I can continue to do both!

You guys are the best! I appreciate you all!


	22. Chapter 22

Kourtney stepped out of the shower just as the doorbell rang. Not expecting company for the night, Kourtney wondered who it could be. She quickly threw on a pair of sweats and paired it with a matching zip up hoodie. The doorbell rang again and was followed by knocking. Kourtney gave her hair a quick dry with the towel and headed down to see who was at the door.

"Hi, Kourt!" Moni and Kayla greeted.

"Hi?" Kourtney said, unsure why the two girls out of all people were at her door.

"Can we come in?" Moni asked. She didn't even wait for an answer as she stepped through the door. Kayla followed behind her.

"We brought drinks!" Kayla said, as she handed Kourtney a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Uh, thanks," Kourtney said. She closed the door. "What are you two doing here?"

"We heard you had the house to yourself this whole week! You didn't tell us!" Moni said. She continued to walk through the house and into the living room.

"Yeah, well-"

"You told Chirsty and even Kim, but you didn't tell us!"

Kourtney gave them a look.

"Because last time I checked you two-"

"If this is about us telling on you to Marianne, it's all water under the bridge right?" Kayla said, making herself comfortable on the arm chair.

"Seriously?" Kourtney asked, setting the bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. She crossed her arms.

"Yes! Look, we're sorry, okay? She had to know what was going on with you and Paul," Moni told her. "So, now it's out in the open, and you and Paul don't have to go around sneaking-"

"We are just friends!" Kourtney cried.

"Okay," Kayla said, with a smile. "You guys are 'just friends.'"

Kourtney groaned.

"Look, whatever. Paul's obviously over Marianne, you're over Alex. Whatever! Let's just open that bottle of Jack, mix it up with some Coke and just have a girls' night! Like old times!"

"You two go ahead and do that, I'm abstaining from alcohol."

Kourtney took a seat on the couch as Moni grabbed the bottle and twisted it open. Kayla went to the kitchen to look for cups and soda. She came back and Moni pour liquor into the cups then Kayla followed it up with the soda. Kourtney crinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol.

"Toast?"

"To our senior year!" Moni said. Kourtney watched as the two friends toasted their cups and gulped the mixed drink down.

"So, Kourtney, what's been new with you?"

"We need to catch up. You don't sit with us anymore during lunch and you barely even talk to us."

Kourtney was appalled with what she was hearing. Obviously the two didn't remember the rumors they'd spread about her. Then again, the spread rumors about everyone, so it was probably just an everyday thing.

"Nothing new," she told them.

"Who was that guy you were talking to during the fundraiser?"

"Uh, Scott?"

"He's so hot! I think he was at the Halloween party. He's one of Jeff's friends!"

"Who's Jeff?" Kourtney asked.

"I met him at the Halloween party," Moni told her. "He kind of hooked up, but we've been talking and seeing each other more."

"So you're dating now?"

"I guess," Moni said with a shrug.

The doorbell rang. Kourtney stood up.

"I'll get it!" Kayla said, smiling at Moni.

"Sit down and tell me more about Scott!" Moni urged. It was then that Kourtney became suspicious. Those two were up to something. Suddenly she heard voices, a lot of them, from the front door.

"Kourtney!" Brian cried as he entered the living carrying a case of beer.

"Bri- Kyle?"

"Hey, Kourt!" Kyle greeted carrying two bottles of liquor.

"Guys," Kourtney began. She stopped as more guys came into the house, one of them being Scott. Their eyes met and he flashed her a smile. Kourtney felt her knees go weak.

"Hi, Kourtney. Nice seeing you again," Scott said making his way to her.

"Yeah, you too," she told him. The noise level within her house tore her attention away from the green-eyed cutie in front of her. Most of the senior class was now in her house, plus several other guests she didn't know. What she did know was that these guests were not from the res.

"I didn't know you were the one throwing the party," Scott told her.

"Yeah, neither did I," she muttered. "Excuse me for a second, Scott." Kourtney went over to Brian who she assumed to be the mastermind of the surprise party at her house. She pulled him aside and smacked him on the arm. "What the hell Brian?"

"Chill, Hunt!"

"What are you doing?"

"What? You didn't tell me you had a free house this weekend!"

"Because it was not any of your business! Tell everyone to leave, now!"

Brian put his arm around Kourtney and leaned in.

"Come on, Kourt! It's just a little party okay? Let us stay a while, maybe until midnight and then I'll start kicking people out!" Kourtney shook her head. "Look, you know Scott right?" Brian motioned over to him. He was drinking a beer, talking a few of the other teens from Forks. "He likes you. He kept asking about you so I figured to invite him down here to the res. Then I heard you had the house and I thought to throw this little shin dig. You two and can get to know each other and we can all just let loose and party for a bit."

Kourtney looked around at the dozen people in her house. Everyone was drinking a beer or some kind of drink and just talking. It wasn't too bad. She slowly nodded her head in acceptance.

"Okay, just until midnight, right?"

"Yes!" Brian said, smiling and giving her a hug. He offered her a beer which she took. One beer wouldn't hurt. As she took a sip, Brian left her side. That was when Scott made his way over to her.

"Everything all right?"

Kourtney nodded.

"Just peachy," she told him.

"So you didn't know about this party," Scott commented. Kourtney shook her head. "You're not gonna get in trouble are you?"

"No, I'll be fine. My parents aren't coming home until tomorrow, so…" Kourtney took another swig of beer. Scott chuckled and finished his own beer. He excused himself to get another. Kourtney did a quick run through of her house to make sure everything was still going good and that no one was getting out of hand. She was surprised when she saw Kaitlyn and her group of friends in the kitchen, talking with Brian and the rest of the senior guys. Kourtney walked back to the living room where Scott met her. They both took a seat on the couch and continued to talk.

Kourtney was on her third beer and was finished laughing at one of Scott's stories when Scott made his move to try and kiss her. She quickly leaned back.

"Sorry!" Kourtney said. "I… I'm not-"

"What's wrong? I thought we were getting along," Scott said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You got a place where we can be alone?"

"No! You know, I don't think I'm ready for…all of that," Kourtney said. "Excuse me."

Kourtney stood up and headed to the kitchen, where Brian was still engaging in conversation with the Forks girls. Kourtney emptied her beer in the sink. She looked at the clock. It was nearing twelve.

"Brian, it's time to start rounding everyone up and telling them to leave," Kourtney said.

"Come on, Kourt," Brian began. Kourtney should've known better than to trust that Brian would keep his word.

"Hey, Kourt," Scott called. He approached and took her into an embrace. Kourtney stiffened and pushed him away. "What's going on? I don't see your boyfriend around."

"Yeah, where is Paul?" Kaitlyn asked. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Wait, since when did you and Paul start dating? Like, for real?" Nate asked.

"Aw, damn, Hunt! I thought you were better than that! Seriously? You're with fucking Lahote now?" Brian cried.

"I thought you said you two had been together for the past two years?" Kaitlyn questioned.

"What?" Kourtney's classmates asked all at once.

"You were cheating on Alex with Paul? All this fucking time?" Kyle exclaimed.

"No! No, I wasn't! I didn't!" Kourtney exclaimed. She turned to Scott. "Paul's just a friend. He thought you were hitting on me and thought he'd help out by pretending to be my boyfriend so you'd back off."

"So you're not taken?" Scott asked, smiling. Kourtney shook her head. Scott took that as a sign to move closer to her again. She took a step back.

"Sorry. Like I said, I'm not ready for whatever it is that you want."

"Hey, give her space!" Nate said as he saw Scott take a step towards Kourtney. He positioned himself between them. "Have another beer, bud. Just chill and leave Kourt alone."

"I wasn't taking to you, bud," Scott said, shoving Nate.

"Hey, hey! Don't do that!" Brian cried. Kourtney could see that things were about to get out of hand.

"Stop! Don't fight!" Brian and Scott didn't hear her, they were too busy getting in each other's faces. The other guests soon rushed to the kitchen to find out what the commotion was all about. A shoving match started. "Get them out of here!"

Nate nodded and motioned for Kyle to help.

"Guys, take this outside!" Kyle told them.

Kourtney grabbed the house phone and dialed a number.

" _Deputy Fisher."_

"Reg! You need to come to the house now!"

" _What's going on?"_

"Uh, I think a fight is about to break out in front of my house."

" _Kourtney…"_

"Look, I'll explain later! Just get here now!"

Kourtney hung up the phone and ran outside where everyone migrated to. Brian and Scott were wrestling on the ground with everyone else cheering them on.

She saw headlights up the street and she ran out to meet the car. She was surprised to see a red Jeep approaching. Paul hopped out before it even made a complete stop.

"Paul! You gotta stop them!" Kourtney told him. Paul quickly nodded.

"Embry!" he called as he made his way to the two guys still fighting.

Paul picked up Brian, while Embry took hold of Scott.

"Get off me, Lahote!" Brian called. He pushed away from Paul. "This isn't your fight!"

"Shut up, Brian. Just stop!" Paul told him. He turned around to look at Scott who was struggling against Embry's hold.

"Let him go," Paul said. Embry happily let go of Scott who stumbled and fell to the ground. He quickly stood up and rushed at Paul. Embry took hold of him and pushed him towards the other Forks guys.

"Don't be stupid," Embry told him. "Paul will kick your ass."

"Don't start another fight, Embry," Kourtney said beside him.

"Party's over!" Jared cried as he and Kim joined the group in the front yard. "Everyone leave!"

Only a couple of people started to move.

"Now!" This prompted a few more people to make their way down the pathway and to their cars. The sound of a vehicle approaching made everyone look up. A quick whir of a siren and flashing red and blue lights illuminated the night sky briefly. A groan made its way around the group. More people ran to their cars.

"I'm giving everyone here 3 seconds to leave or I will arrest each and every single one of you!" The rest of the people began to go to their cars except for her friends. Kourtney frowned when she saw Kaitlyn break away from her group and approach Paul.

"Hey Paul," Kaitlyn greeted. "So, I heard that you really aren't taken."

"He's not interested either," Kourtney said, stepping in front of Paul. "You should learn to take a hint!"

She crossed her arms. The girl gave her a dirty look before looking at Paul again.

"Leave!" Kourtney told her before she could say another word. She watched as Kaitlyn scurried down the pathway and jumped into her friend's van. She made eye contact with Reggie who motioned for her to come over.

"What was that?" Paul asked before she could take a step away.

"What? I was just helping a friend out!" With that she left him to talk to her Deputy Fisher. He already had a disapproving look on his face. "Let me just start by saying this was in no way my idea!"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"They invited themselves over and invited people who I didn't even know!" Kourtney continued.

"Kourtney, you smell like alcohol," Deputy Fisher stated. "Were you drinking?"

Kourtney sighed and looked around

"Do you want me to get the breathalyzer out?"

"Okay, I had one beer," Kourtney confessed. Another look. "Okay maybe two…three at most! Wait, not even three! Like half of a third bottle. I threw the rest out!"

Deputy Fisher sighed and massaged his temple.

"I'm sorry! But the main thing is, I called you, right? To break up the party. Like I said, I had no idea they planned all of this."

"I'm gonna have to tell your dad," he told her.

Kourtney thought to argue, but knew that her dad would figure out somehow.

"I know," she said. "Damn it."

"But, I will tell him that you didn't know about this party and that you had poor judgment in allowing the party to continue, but you did eventually call to let me know about it. As for your alcohol consumption, we can keep it between you and me. Just this once!"

"Thanks, Reg!" Kourtney said gratefully. The deputy looked over to her friends and gave them a nod.

"Thanks, deputy!" Jared said, giving him a wave. He nodded again before disappearing in his patrol car and driving off. Kourtney turned around and saw Kim, Jared, and Embry disappear into the house. Paul stood in front of the steps, his hands on his waist.

"Not a word, Paul," she told him as she passed him. Paul nodded and followed her inside. She felt a swell of gratitude as she realized that her friends, her real friends, were already cleaning up.

"You are trouble, Hunt," Paul told her, as he passed. He sent her a smile and she smiled back. She watched as he helped Embry and Kim collect the cans and cups that were left all over the living room and dining room. Kourtney headed over to the kitchen. She brought the remaining cases of beer to the sink and began pouring them out. She did the same to the bottles of hard liquor.

"So…" Kourtney jumped as Jared appeared next to her. "Are you ready to admit that I was right?"

"Are you looking to taking another bath? I may not have paint, but I have a bottle of whiskey."

Jared flashed a smile in response and walked away. Kourtney shook her head, then smiled. There was no way she would ever admit to Jared that he might be right. As Kourtney watched the amber liquid drain down the sink, she recalled how she felt when she saw Kaitlyn flirting with Paul. She didn't know what was worst, seeing some pretty blonde flirt with Paul or seeing Paul flirt back. She reminded herself about her constant insistence of them being just friends, but it made her wonder why she thought of Paul whenever Scott tried to flirt with her. It made her feel guilty, especially when Scott tried kissing her.

"Want me to take that?" Kourtney gasped in surprise. Embry quickly apologized.

"It's okay," Kourtney said as she handed him the empty bottles.

"I can't believe you didn't even invite me," he joked. Kourtney laughed. She made her way to the living room as Embry took the bag full of bottles outside.

"Thanks you guys. You really didn't have to do this," she told Jared and Kim.

"Don't worry about it," Kim said. "We had a feeling you'd need help."

"How did you guys know anyway?" Kourtney asked.

"Embry heard it from one of Kaitlyn's friends," Jared told her, making sure to draw out the name. He was still trying to get a reaction out of her. Kourtney bit her lip, not wanting him to see her smile.

"Well, thanks again. I owe you guys," Kourtney said.

"Ooh!" Jared cried, raising his hand. "I know how you can repay me! Just admit that you were jealous and-"

Kim gave Jared a look and he stopped.

"We should get going," Kim said, pushing Jared towards the front door. "If you need anything else, just call us!"

Kourtney walked the couple out to the porch. Embry and Paul were sitting on the steps talking. They stopped once they heard Kourtney walk onto the porch. Embry stood up.

"Seriously Kourt, you gotta invite me next time-"

"Embry," Paul said.

"See you, Kourt!" Embry said with a wave. Kourtney waved back.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Paul told Jared. The latter nodded.

"Remember what we talked about, Kourty," Jared told her as he gave her a wave.

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Don't mind him," Kim said, giving Kourtney a hug. "Bye!"

She took a seat next to Paul and they both watched as their friends piled into Jared's Jeep. They both waved as the Jeep drove down the dark street, eventually disappearing.

"So what did you and Jared talk about?" Paul asked, turning to look at her. Her eyes locked with his and it seemed like time stopped. She took in his eyelashes and how they perfectly framed his dark brown eyes. His mouth was curled up into a playful smirk. She was feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"What did Jared tell you?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Just that you were being stubborn about something."

"Oh," she said, exhaling. "It's nothing."

Paul continued to look at her. Kourtney looked away. A chill ran down her spine making her shiver.

"I would offer you my jacket, but I don't exactly have one," Paul said in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine. You know, I should probably head inside. It's getting late anyway," Kourtney said. The truth was, she was starting to feel uncomfortable around Paul. Her heart was racing and her stomach felt all jumbled up. Or maybe it was just the alcohol. Paul stood up just as she did. Their bodies bumped into one another and Kourtney quickly stepped back , slipping off the step.

"Kourt!" Paul cried as he reached out for her. He caught her and pulled her to him. Kourtney felt his hands on her back, their warmth penetrating through her shirt. Again, her heart started to race. Standing so close to Paul seemed to always do that to her now. She studied his face and took note of how his body felt next to her. Yes, she was very attracted to Paul Lahote. And at that moment she was having some very improper thoughts about him.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly. She pulled herself away and walked to the door. It was the alcohol. It was definitely the three beers that she had a couple hours ago that made her feel what she was feeling. It was nothing else. She heard Paul follow. Kourtney turned to face him. "Thanks for helping out, with everything today."

"No problem," he said. Kourtney mentally willed for him to leave, to be away from her, far, far away. She didn't want him anywhere near her, not while she was still feeling the effects of the alcohol. Not while she was feeling the way she was. Then he smiled. His smile made her take back everything she thought in her mind. She wanted him to stay. She wanted to be near him. She wanted to hear him talk, hear him laugh. She wanted him to keep smiling at her the way he did. Kourtney suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of just wanting Paul Lahote to be with her.

"Thanks for saving me from that extremely attractive girl who was interested in me."

Suddenly, everything Kourtney wanted and felt went down the drain. She rolled her eyes.

"No problem," she said, bitterly. "Just paying back the favor of you saving me from the extremely good looking guy who was interested in me."

Paul laughed, making Kourtney frown.

"You're such a jerk," Kourtney said quietly. She turned the doorknob.

"Wait, Kourt!"

"Good night, Lahote!" Kourtney slammed the door on Paul. She locked the door and turned off the lights. She heard him call for her, but she ignored him. Kourtney bounded up the stairs and went to her room. Not even bother to change her clothes or wash up, Kourtney crawled into her bed and closed her eyes.

.-~*~-.

Sunday morning, Paul was in wolf form, patrolling the forest. His mind replayed last night over and over. He wondered what he did to make Kourtney upset with him. He texted her upon arriving at home, but she didn't reply. She could've fallen asleep, _but before he phased, he checked his phone. Still no reply._

He wondered if Kourtney was upset with him for posing as her boyfriend to keep Scott from asking her out. Paul had to admit to himself that he did it more for himself. He knew he had no right to keep Kourtney from seeing other guys. She may be his imprint, but she still was the one who called the shots on where they stood. From what he heard from, Kourtney told Embry that she only saw Paul as a friend. Even though she admitted to being attracted to him, Paul knew it wasn't the same with her actually wanting to be more than just friends.

 _What's going on?_ Jared asked as he phased.

 _Nothing_ Paul told him.

 _You and Kourt talk last night?_

Paul's recollection of last night immediately played out for Jared, beginning from him questioning her about Jared up to their little moment of being close to one another up to her slamming the door on him.

 _You fucking idiot!_

Paul flinched at Jared's tone.

 _What the hell?_ Embry thought as he joined his brothers.

 _Damn it, Paul! Why'd you have to bring up Kaitlyn?_

 _What? I was joking!_

 _You know what she was upset? Because you brought up the_ ' _extremely attractive girl'_ _who was interested with you!_

 _Why would she be upset about that?_

Embry wondered how Paul, the guy who was known for always getting girls, could mess up so badly with the only girl that mattered.

 _Shut up, Call!_

 _I knew it! She was_ totally _jealous!_ Jared insisted. _Just the fact that she didn't want to admit made it obvious!_

 _What are you talking about?_

Jared admitted that he may have intentionally made Kourtney think that he was interested in Kaitlyn.

 _Why the hell would you do that?_

 _So she can realize that she does have feelings for you! She got jealous! It means that she doesn't want you to be with other girls because she wants you to be with her! Dude, you need to ask her out!_

 _Yeah, before I do!_ Embry added. Embry felt his wolf self ram into a tree. He whimpered and looked up to see Paul's standing above him, growling. _You're right. It should be your turn._

The three pack brothers continued their run. Meanwhile, their alpha and leader was at the grocery store with his fiancé. Emily usually stocked up on groceries that day. She had to buy enough food for a week's worth of meals and snacks for the four mouths she was feeding. It usually required two carts which was why she also insisted that Sam come along.

Emily was eyeing the 5 dozen eggs she had in her cart, not sure if she should just make it an even 6 dozen. She could always send one of the boys to buy more if she needed to. She was about to put the carton of eggs back, but decided last minute to just have the 6 dozen. As she put the eggs down in her cart, another cart collided into hers.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay!" Emily said. She looked up and saw a familiar teenage girl holding onto the other cart. The girl was stared then quickly looked away. Emily fought the urge to place her hand on her scarred face.

"Hi, Kourtney!" Emily heard Sam greet. He stopped his cart beside her.

"Hi Sam!" the girl said.

"You're Kourtney!" Emily exclaimed. She looked at Sam. "Paul's-"

Sam's quick nodding stopped Emily. She turned back to Kourtney who seemed to be blushing.

"Kourtney, this is Emily, my fiancé. Emily this is Kourtney, Cody's sister."

"Nice to meet you," Emily said, extending out her hand. Kourtney took and smiled.

"You, too! Wow, you guys get a lot of food."

"Yeah, well you won't believe the amount of food the boys eat."

"Boys?" Kourtney asked.

"Uh, she means Paul, Jared, and Embry," Sam told her. "They're always over, almost every single day. Emily's always cooking up a storm!"

Kourtney laughed.

"Well, you're muffins were amazing! I didn't get to try your cookies yesterday, but Paul insisted they were even more amazing than the muffins." Sam and Emily laughed. "Actually, he said everything you cook is practically delicious!"

"Why don't you come over this Friday for dinner?" Emily asked, suddenly. Sam and Kourtney both looked at her surprised.

"Me? Really?"

"Yeah! Paul is going to be there. Jared, Kim, and Embry. All of them are coming over," Emily said. "It's like our weekly family dinner."

Sam beamed at Emily. He knew that she'd been dying to meet Kourtney. He also knew that she, like everyone, wanted Paul and Kourtney to finally be together. He wondered what his lovely fiancé had up her sleeve.

"Sure," Kourtney said. "That'd be great."

"Great! I'm sure Paul won't mind picking you up," Emily said.

"Yeah, I'll let him know. I should get going! I still have some cleaning to do before my parents get home!" The couple bid her goodbye.

Sam waited until she was out of earshot.

"Nice on, Em," he told her.

"What?" Emily asked innocently. "I just invited her over to dinner."

"And slyly got her to agree to have Paul pick her up."

"I thought it'd be best. She doesn't know where I live. She might get lost. Paul won't mind."

"I know he won't. What over tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

"No tricks here," Emily told him. "I just want to see how they are together. I want things between them to naturally come together. Maybe if she sees us two and Jared and Kim together…"

"That it'll give her ideas with Paul?" Sam finished. Emily shrugged. Sam gave her a kiss. He loved how Emily embraced not just him, but his pack. While he kept the boys in line and looked out of them while on patrol, Emily was the one who took care of them when they weren't in wolf form. He never asked her to cook or to open up her house to them, but she did. It made him appreciate her so much more than he could ever tell her. Despite hurting her cousin in the process, Emily still accepted him and his responsibilities to the tribe.

"Okay, Romeo," Emily said, pulling away. "Let's get all this checked out!"

* * *

 **AN:** I am having writer's block on my other fanfic. So I have been spending time on this. I think things are moving along...do you? Next chapter will be quite interesting...

 _ **Ch 23 Preview**_

 _"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jared cried, advancing on Kourtney. She took a few steps back, unsure of what she did to cause Jared's outburst._

 _"Jared, stop!" Kim said, trying to pull him away._

 _"Do you know what you almost did? You almost got Kim killed!"_

 _"Wha- How?"_

 _"Why the hell would you just leave her?"_

 _"Hey!" Paul cried, as he arrived. He made his way in front of Kourtney, shielding her from Jared._

 _"This is all her fucking fault, Paul!" Jared stumbled back as Paul pushed him away._

 _"Stop yelling at her! She didn't know!"_

 _"Yeah, because you haven't fucking told her! Just tell her! Tell her, Paul!"_


	23. Chapter 23

"Why is it that something big always happens when I leave for Port Angeles?" Christy asked, stopping my Kourtney's locker.

"You did not miss much," Kourtney said.

"Really?" Christy asked. "So that Forks boy hitting on you was nothing? Brian and said boy getting in a fight was nothing? Having your knight in shining armor, a.k.a. Paul Lahote showing up and kicking everybody out was nothing?"

Kourtney rolled her eyes. She closed her locker and faced Christy.

"Yup, like I said, you didn't miss much."

Kourtney's eyes drifted past Christy as she saw none other than Paul Lahote walk into the school. After the confusing moment she had with Paul on Saturday night, Kourtney spent the whole Sunday convincing herself that alcohol played a huge factor in what she felt. But now, seeing Paul walk in, watching how his tall frame strutted through the halls, Kourtney started feeling a hint of the same feelings as before. He wore the usual cool expression on his face. It immediately changed when he saw her. He flashed her a smile. It was the same smile that he always gave her. The same smile he gave her a couple of nights ago. The very same night that Kourtney started seeing Paul in a different light.

"Are you okay?" Christy asked. Kourtney tore her eyes away from Paul to focus back on her friend. "You're looking a little flush."

"Uh, I'm fine."

"Hey, Kourt," Paul greeted as he passed by to get to his locker. Kourtney gave a small smile then looked away.

"What's going on?" Christy asked with a smile.

"Nothing!"

"So nothing happened after Paul pretended to be your boyfriend for the day?" Christy asked. Kourtney bit her lip, making her friend smile wider. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" Kourtney said. She didn't want to admit to Christy what she didn't want to admit to herself yet. She couldn't let herself fall for Paul even if her and Marianne were no longer friends and even if Paul and Alex were no longer friends. She and Paul were too good of friends to venture into being more than that. Plus, while she was over her last relationship, she was no doubt jaded by it. There was also the fact that Paul was Paul. Seeing those girls flock to him on Saturday reminded her of just that. She suddenly felt like she did in sophomore year; being the girl that Paul Lahote would never notice. There were just too many things that made Kourtney fight her growing feelings for him.

"Damn, Embry," she muttered. It seemed as if ever since her little date with Embry, their conversation about Paul opened her eyes to something she didn't notice before.

"What?" Kourtney looked up and realized that Embry was standing in front of her and Christy. "What'd I do?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. Embry eyed her suspiciously as he walked away. She laughed as he purposely bumped into Paul. The older teen cursed at him before pushing him away.

"Something's going on, I know it," Christy said. "And I am going to figure it out, Hunt!"

"Okay, go ahead. But nothing is going on with me!" Kourtney insisted. Christy gave her a look as Paul walked up.

"Hey, Christy," Paul greeted.

"Hey Lahote! Good job on breaking up the fight this weekend. For once you were stopping the punches rather than throwing them."

Paul laughed.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to break anyone's nose again."

This time Christy was the one who laughed. Kourtney smiled at the exchange. She had a new found appreciation for Paul. He was once known as a jerk, which he still was at times, but Kourtney noticed how much nicer he was to her friends. Although he continually argued with Embry, it was different; they fought like brothers would. The same went for him and Jared. It seemed like all three guys had a brotherly bond despite not even exchanging a word to one another the year before.

"Kourtney?"

"Hey!"

Kourtney jumped as Christy clapped her hands in her face.

"What?"

"We're gonna be late," Paul told her.

"Right, sorry," she said as she started for their first class.

Kourtney took her seat and Paul followed closely by and took his seat behind her. Kourtney breathed in his scent. He smelled of soap mixed with some type of cologne. Whatever it was, Kourtney liked it. Never did she notice how Paul smelled, but it seemed like she was slowly noticing more things about him that she never noticed before.

"Kourtney!" hissed Paul.

"Huh?"

"Ms. Hunt? Do you have your homework?"

"Uh, yeah," Kourtney said as she fumbled through her binder. After finally finding the papers, she took Paul's stack, added it to hers and passed it forward.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked in a low voice. Kourtney nodded her response. "Are you sure? You seem distracted today."

"I'm fine," she told him. She could feel Paul lean back in his chair, seemingly satisfied with her answer. She reprimanded herself for spacing out and did her best to focus during class. It wasn't easy, especially since Paul was sitting right behind her. It didn't help that she was his go to for help during the assignments or clarification on the lecture.

.-~*~-.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked Kourtney again as they made their way out of the school.

"I'm fine!" Kourtney cried facing him. "You don't have to ask me every five minutes!"

"Sorry," Paul said. "It's just you've been distracted and you were quiet during lunch-"

"I just have a lot on my mind." He stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate. Instead, she looked away and continued to walk. Paul sighed. He had been waiting for the right time to ask her on a date and he was still waiting. He kept getting mixed messages from her all morning. She would be normal one second and the next she seemed to avoid even looking at him. He was thinking that Jared was wrong and that Kourtney didn't have any feelings for him.

Paul jogged to catch up with her. Once he was beside her, he glanced at her. She kept her head forward and her eyes straight. He tried to think of something to talk about. All his mind came up with was for him to finally ask her out on a date.

"Hey, Kourt?" Paul said. It was now or never.

"Yeah?" Kourtney asked, she turned her head slightly and glanced him before facing forward again. Paul thought twice about what he was about to do. He wiped his hands on his jeans. He was sweating. He was nervous.

"Uh, so, are you doing anything on Friday?"

"Yeah," Kourtney said. She stopped walking and Paul realized that they were at her car.

"Oh," Paul replied. Disappointment set in then panic. He was thinking of an explanation on why he would be asking her about her plans.

"Aren't you gonna be there?"

"Where?" Paul asked, confused.

"At Emily's. She invited me over for dinner this Friday. She said you'd be there too."

Paul was relieved. A part of him thought she went through with calling the guy from Forks. Another part thought she just didn't want to hang out with him.

"Oh, yeah! I didn't know you were going to be there too."

"You think we can ride their together?" she asked. "I don't know where she lives."

"Yeah, I can pick you up," he told her with a smile. She looked away for what seemed to be the tenth time that day. "Kourtney, what's going on? Do I have something on my face or something? You keep looking away whenever we're talking."

"No! You're fine! Uh, I mean, you look good. Like, you don't have anything on your face. You're good," Kourtney stammered. He noticed her wipe her hands on her jeans like he had. Paul wondered what she was nervous about.

"Look at me then." Kourtney sighed then took a deep breath, like she was preparing for something. She slowly turned her head and her eyes gazed up at him.

The second their eyes met, time seemed to stand still for them. As far as they knew, it was just them in the parking lot. It was something that Paul was familiar with. It was what he felt whenever he was given the chance to just simply gaze into her eyes.

For Kourtney, though, it was still something she was getting used to. A small part of her continued to fight against it, but she couldn't deny that there was something between them. It scared her.

"Kourtney!" Jacob's voice made her tear away from Paul.

"Jacob?" Kourtney said, seeing Jacob and Quil walking towards her. She was surprised since she hadn't spoken to him since Embry started hanging out with Paul. From the corner of her eye, she saw Paul scowl at the two approaching them.

"What do you want, Black?" Paul said.

"Can we get a ride?" Jacob asked.

"Uh, sure." She heard Paul mutter something under his breath. She turned to question him.

"I'll see you later, Hunt," Paul told her. He seemed annoyed and his tone was completely different from when he spoke to her earlier. Before she could say anything, Paul headed to his truck.

"Wait, what about Embry?" Kourtney called after him.

"He left early," Quil told her. "I think he got in trouble because he almost got into a fight with Kyle."

Kourtney sighed. She decided to just text Paul later. She unlocked her car and the two boys scrambled in. Jacob took the front seat while Quil took the back.

"This is surprising," she said. "I thought you two forgot all about me."

"Hey! I live next to you!"

"Okay, I meant Jacob. I thought he forgot about me." Kourtney turned to passenger seat. Jacob remained silent. His eyes were focused on the road. "Jake?"

"Are you really going to Sam's this Friday?" Jacob asked.

"No, I'm going to Emily's."

"Emily's? You mean the place where they all hang out?" Jacob asked, his voice getting increasing in volume.

"Jake!" Quil sighed. He sat back in the seat and crossed his arms.

"What? You can't go there Kourtney!"

"Jake, you are being ridiculous! I met Emily yesterday! She's so sweet and friendly!"

"She's probably brainwashed too!"

"Are you saying I'm brainwashed?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah! Paul did something to you!"

"Paul did not do anything!"

"You don't care that he messed up your friendship with Marianne?" he asked.

Kourtney gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Jacob Black," she began, trying to keep her voice even and calm. "I am not being brainwashed by Paul. He and I are good friends and he did not mess up my friendship with Marianne."

"You're really going to choose Paul over your best friend that you've known since you were kids?"

"Jacob, I know you're upset about Embry-"

"You know what? I can walk," Jacob said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Kourtney pulled over. Jacob Black was getting on her nerves.

"I don't know what your problem with Paul is, but you obviously don't know him like I do. Yeah, he's a jerk and he can be the biggest asshole, but if you're someone he cares about, he can be the best and most loyal friend you could ever have."

"Of course you would say that," Jacob said before getting out of the car.

"What does that mean?" Kourtney cried.

"It means that you like him," Quil told her from the back seat. He slid out the car. "Bye Kourtney."

Kourtney waved and slowly pulled back onto the road. She was almost home when she suddenly made a U-turn. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she eased onto Paul's street. She saw his black pick-up parked in front of his house. She suddenly wondered what she was doing. Her car pulled to a stop behind Paul's truck. She glanced in the rearview mirror, making sure that she looked presentable.

Kourtney got out of her car and made her way up to the front door.

"Kourtney?" came Paul's voice. Kourtney looked around and saw a shirtless Paul walking up. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I, um, I came to see if you were okay," she offered, lamely. She was trying her best not to stare at him, again.

"I'm fine," Paul said. Kourtney nodded.

"Okay, that's good," she said. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

She started to walk away.

"Hey." Kourtney quickly turned around.

"Yeah?"

Paul moved closer to her and she took a step back.

"Sorry," Kourtney said when she saw Paul's dejected expression. "You're…half-naked…"

"Oh, I thought you didn't mind it," Paul said, a smile suddenly on his face as he wriggled his eyebrows. Kourtney laughed, suddenly feeling at ease.

"See you, Lahote."

"Hey, you didn't deny it!" Paul called after her. She turned around again.

"No, I didn't," she told him as she walked backwards. She laughed as Paul had a look of surprise on his face. Kourtney jogged over to her car and got in. She was still smiling to herself as she drove home.

.-~*~-.

Paul rang the doorbell of the Hunt residence. It was finally Friday which meant dinner at Emily's. For some reason, he felt nervous. He guessed it was the fact that Kourtney was finally going to be hanging out with the pack, including Sam and Emily. Add to that was the fact that Kourtney didn't know anything about them being shape shifters. He hoped no one would slip up.

He heard Kourtney announce that she was leaving. Paul felt his stomach turn. The door opened. Kourtney greeted him with a big smile.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she greeted as she stepped out. To his delight, she took a second to take in his appearance. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Paul replied. He actually took the time to pick out what to wear. Dinner at Emily's wasn't too fancy or anything, but he wanted to impress Kourtney. "You look…decent."

Paul faked a flinch as Kourtney playfully hit his arm.

"I'm just kidding," he said. "You always look good."

He threw an arm around Kourtney and led her down the path. Ever since she dropped by his house earlier that week, it seemed as if she became more comfortable with him. The little flirty comments he would make to her, she would actually respond with her own flirty comments. Kourtney didn't seem to shy away from him whenever they made some sort of physical contact either, like now. Things were really looking up for Paul in regards to Kourtney.

He opened the truck's door for her and held her hand as she climbed up. He closed the door and made his way to the driver's side.

"You ready?" he asked.

Kourtney nodded.

"Nervous?"

"Uh, kinda," she said.

"Don't be. Emily's a sweetheart and Sam…well, he's Sam."

"Oh, it's not them I'm worried about," Kourtney said. "It's Jared and Embry. I don't think I've had the pleasure of spending time with both of them…at the same time."

Paul laughed and Kourtney joined him. However, she was partly serious. After Embry's ambush questioning about her attraction of Paul and Jared's constant bugging about her being jealous, Kourtney wondered what they had for her tonight.

"Don't worry. Embry had something to do, so he might not make it," Paul said.

"Oh okay. A little less nervous," Kourtney said.

"Why would you be nervous about Embry?"

Kourtney laughed.

"I underestimated him. He's a sneaky little guy. Pair that up with Jared…"

Paul nodded his understanding.

"Trust me, Jared will be on his best behavior. If Kim can't set him straight, Emily will."

"Wow, the girls have that kind of power huh?" Kourtney joked.

"You have no idea," he said with a sly smile.

The car ride to Emily's was a short one. Kourtney didn't realize that Emily lived on the other side of the forest. By car it only took them less than ten minutes. As Paul's truck approached the quaint house, Kourtney saw Jared's bright jeep parked next to Sam's SUV. Paul parked his truck beside Jared's. Kourtney opened her door.

"That's my job," Paul told her, offering his hand to her.

"Thanks, but I think I can handle opening a door all by myself," Kourtney joked. "Not that I don't appreciate you trying to be a gentleman."

"What are you talking about? I'm always a gentleman!"

Kourtney laughed as she took his hand and stepped down the truck. They walked hand in hand up the porch steps. Kourtney took her hand back as Paul opened the sliding door.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Jared called.

Emily and Sam walked into the kitchen.

"Glad that you could make it, Kourtney!" Emily exclaimed as she gave her a hug. Kourtney hugged her back.

"Thanks for inviting me," Kourtney told her.

"Come on, the food's ready," Emily told them. Paul placed a hand on Kourtney's back and guided her to the dining room where Jared was already seated at the table. Kim greeted Kourtney and Paul before taking her place beside him. "You can sit here Kourtney."

Emily motioned to the chair next to Kim. Emily took the chair beside Kourtney's and Sam took the chair next to Sam. That left Paul with the chair that sat him across from Kourtney. He frowned at the seating arrangement. He stole a look at Emily who only gave him a reassuring smile. Without arguing, he took his seat.

Emily instructed the girls to take their share of food first before letting the guys take theirs. Kourtney was in awe at how much the guys ate. It was no wonder Emily bought so much food.

"Scary isn't it?" Kim whispered to Kourtney who only laughed.

"I heard that, Kim," Paul said.

"Now, now, Paul. A gentleman doesn't talk with his mouth full," Jared playfully scolded. Kourtney laughed then stopped as she realized there was no way he could have heard her and Paul's conversation.

"So, Kourtney," Sam said after clearing his throat. Kourtney didn't miss the disapproving look that Sam gave to Jared. The younger teen bowed his head and remained silent. "How was your parents vacation?"

"Good," Kourtney said before taking a sip of her drink.

"Where did they go?"

"They flew to Miami and their cruise went to the Bahamas for a few days."

"Were they able to see Cody while they were there?" Emily asked.

Kourtney shook her head.

"They said he was busy with school and his internship."

"He's interning at a crime lab right?"

"Yeah, the Forensics Services Bureau. Or something like that."

"Sounds legit," Sam said with a smile. "I still can't wrap my head around Cody Hunt actually doing something…good."

"Sam!"

"He's right!" Kourtney laughed. "I can't believe that he's actually half-way through college already. The fact that he's also interning at the actual forensics buereau… It's pretty crazy."

"Wasn't Cody Mr. Golden Boy when he went to La Push?"

Sam nodded his head.

"Yeah, straight A's, perfect attendance. Didn't mean he had any interest in college."

"He only used it as an excuse to get out of here," Kourtney told them.

"Really?" Sam asked. "I didn't know he hated the res that much."

"I mean, we all eventually want out of here, right?" Kourtney asked. "I know I do."

The entire table remained quiet. Glances were exchanged between Paul and everyone else.

"It's not so bad here," Paul said quietly. Kourtney looked at him.

"Yeah, I got everything I need here in La Push," Jared said, looking at Kim.

"Same here," Kim said, giving Jared a kiss on the cheek.

"I've got to say that La Push has grown on me," Emily added. Kourtney looked at her and saw how lovingly she was looking at Sam.

She realized their reasons for liking La Push all boiled down to their family and loved ones. From what she heard, Emily uprooted her whole life to be closer to Sam. No doubt that after getting married, Emily and Sam would stay in La Push. As for Jared and Kim, she didn't know what their plans were. Jared wasn't even going to college. Kourtney once asked Kim about her college plans and Kim told her she still wasn't sure. Kim was the eldest of six children and her mom needed her help with them.

It was then that she realized she didn't have what they had. With her brother away at college, all she had were her parents. But for the past few months, all they did was work. When they were home, arguments were always happening. Their spontaneous trip the previous week only seemed to worsen things rather than make it better. Of course, none of this she told to anyone, even her brother. It was evident from her brother's previous brief visit that her parents were still trying to look like the perfect couple everyone thought they were.

Kourtney suddenly felt a warm hand on hers. She glanced down, seeing a hand holding onto hers. She didn't even have to look to know that it belonged to Paul.

"Kourtney?"

"Hmm?" she asked, finally looking up at him.

"Are you okay?" Kourtney nodded.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Yeah," she insisted, giving him a smile. Paul didn't look convinced. He slowly removed his hand from hers.

"Honey, I'm home!" a voice bellowed from the other room. "I know I had another hour, but I'm starving! I'm sure La Push would be fine without leech- oh, hey, Kourtney! I forgot that you were coming over tonight…"

Kourtney saw how the boys all tensed up. Embry looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Come on and sit down, Embry," Emily said. She got up and took hold of Embry's arm and led him to where she had been sitting. "I saved you a plate…or two." She pointed to Paul and Jared. "You two get to do the dishes."

Paul and Jared grumbled.

"Guys," Sam said.

"Thanks for the food Emily," the two said in unison. They got up and started clearing the plates. Kourtney smiled as Sam gave her a wink. Sam then stood up.

"I'll be back later, babe," he said as Emily came back in holding two plates. She set them down in front of Embry who dug in right away.

Sam and Emily walked out to the porch. Kim started to clean up the rest of the plates that the guys missed. Soon Kourtney was left with Embry.

"Where'd you go?" Kourtney asked, trying to make conversation.

"Uh, just…" Embry scooped a spoonful of food in his mouth and mumbled something. Kourtney rolled her eyes and took her plate to the kitchen.

She bit back a laugh as she saw Paul and Jared trying to huddle around the sink. They were fighting over who was going to dry the dishes that time.

"I could do it," Kourtney said as she took a place beside Jared. She took the towel from him.

"No, Kourt, you don't have to," Paul said.

"Thanks, Kourty!" Jared said at the same time. He patted her head and walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey! You still need to help me wash the dishes!" Paul cried after him.

"I'll help," Kourtney offered. Paul began to decline, but Kourtney started rinsing the dishes. "Stop wasting time."

Paul realized he wasn't going to win. Her comment about the girls having power over the guys repeated in his head, making him smile.

"What are you smiling about, Lahote?"

"Nothing."

"What changed your mind?" Kourtney asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Earlier you said that La Push wasn't that bad. You never felt that way before. You've always wanted to leave the first chance you got. What made you change your mind?"

Paul thought his answer over. He soaped the plate he was holding three times before he answered.

"I guess I just realized it really isn't that bad. My dad loves living here. I got some pretty good friends here."

Kourtney nodded her head.

"How about you? Why do you want to get out of here so much?"

It was Kourtney's turn to think about her answer.

"Just…a change, I guess. I've lived here my whole life. Sometimes I wonder what's beyond the res."

"Port Angeles?" The two laughed.

Embry came in the kitchen with his two dishes. Kourtney reached for them, but Paul reached across her arms and stopped her.

"Wash your own dishes, Call," Paul told him.

"Emily said it's your turn for dishes!" Embry protested.

"I don't mind-"

"No, Embry can do it. Or go ask Jared."

"Nope! Not gonna do them!" Jared's voice came from the living room. "You almost let the cat out of the bag!"

"Yeah, the very big cat," Paul added.

Kourtney looked at them in confusion. Embry narrowed his eyes at Paul and the two guys had a stare off. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Embry, give me the dishes," Kourtney commanded, bring her hand out. Paul wrapped his arms around her and picked her. "Paul!"

Kourtney knew there was no point in struggling. She'd tried before and managed not to do anything against Paul's strong hold. Paul walked to the living room and dropped Kourtney on the couch. She sat up and smacked Paul as he took a seat next to her. Emily smiled at the two.

Kourtney pulled out her phone after feeling it vibrate.

 **M: Be home soon. Taking the night shift. Your dad got called out.**

Kourtney sighed and turned to Paul.

"I need to get home," she told him.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, my parents both have work tonight and my mom just wants to make sure I come home before they leave." Kourtney stood up and Paul did the same. Emily and Kim jumped up and took their turn giving her a hug good bye.

"Put it there, Hunt," Jared said extending out his hand. Kourtney took and Jared started a complicated handshake that Kourtney couldn't follow. "Remember that. That's our secret handshake."

"Right," Kourtney said.

"I'll see you guys later," Paul said. "I'll be back."

"You're leaving already?" Embry cried as he entered in the living room. "I just got here."

"You've been here for like half an hour already," Paul told him.

"Well, the parentals are summoning me home."

Embry opened out his arms and took Kourtney in. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and started swaying her back and forth.

"Bye, Kourtney," Embry said.

"Bye, Embry," Kourtney replied, giggling.

"Okay, that's enough," Paul said, prying Embry's arms off of Kourtney. He put a protective arm around Kourtney and decked Embry in the stomach.

"Paul!" Emily and Kourtney cried.

"We're just playing, right Embry?"

"Uh huh," Embry replied, clearly not affected.

"Get Kourtney home before her parents worry," Emily told him. They all did another round of goodbyes before Paul and Kourtney left.

"So what do you think?" Paul asked once they were away from Jared and Embry's super hearing.

Kourtney smiled.

"I enjoyed myself and the company. You're right about Emily. She's a sweetheart. And her and Sam…" Kourtney gave a dreamy sigh. "They're so in love. Like…it's so hard to explain."

"Like their soulmates?"

"Yeah," Kourtney said. "You believe in soulmates?"

Paul nodded his head.

"Really? Huh, never would have expected that."

"What?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"That you out of all people would believe in soulmates."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

Paul stopped in front of Kourtney's house. He chuckled when he saw that Kourtney remained in the passenger's seat. He reached for the door and opened it.

"Can't open the door yourself?" he teased.

"You are unbelievable," she said. Kourtney hopped out of the truck and the two walked towards her house in silence. Kourtney slowed down as they neared the house. Paul's ears perked up when he heard two angry voices coming from her house.

"You know, you should go," Kourtney said suddenly standing in front of him. Paul continued to look towards her house. His ears could hear her parents arguing. "You told them you were going to be back there, so they might be waiting."

"Kourtney-"

"I'll see you on Monday?"

A loud crashing sound came from the house. Paul instinctively took a step forward, but Kourtney threw her arms around him. Her action startled Paul and stopped him in his tracks. Kourtney buried her face in chest, hoping that he would just leave. As he wrapped his arms around her, she savored the feeling of safety and calm in his arms. Kourtney heard her mother's voice again. She pulled away from Paul.

"I'll see you Monday," she told him firmly before turning and quickly making her way up the steps. Paul stayed where he was. He listened in on what was happening in the Hunt household.

"What is going on?" he heard Kourtney ask. "Dad, you're bleeding!"

"I'm fine sweetie, I just accidentally dropped a plate," Mr. Hunt said.

"On your arm?"

"I'll stop by the hospital on my way to work."

"Dad? Dad!"

Paul dashed to his truck and started it just as Mr. Hunt stepped out the door. Paul gave a wave as Mr. Hunt got into his patrol car. He drove off, his mind still trying to process what he heard. He thought of the look on Kourtney's face. She was scared, yet ashamed. It made him wonder how long it had been going on. He was still deep in his thoughts when he walked in Emily's house.

"What's wrong, buddy? Kourtney reject your good night kiss?" Embry asked. Paul didn't even look his way.

"Sam still out?"

"Yeah, is everything okay?" Emily asked.

"I want to tell Kourtney," Paul said. "I want to tell her about us, the pack, the imprinting…everything."

Everyone stared at Paul in surprise.

"What happened?" Jared asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing," Paul said. "I just think Kourtney should know now. I'm gonna go talk to Sam."

Paul turned and headed into the forest. It was quick for him to phase into his wolf form.

 _What's going on, Paul?_

 _I want to talk to you about something._

 _You want to tell Kourtney?_ Sam asked, reading Paul's thoughts.

 _I want her to know. I want her to know that she has me and that I can protect her and keep her safe._

 _Why? What's going on? Is everything alright with her?_

Paul was hesitant but eventually revealed what went down when he dropped off Kourtney. Sam thought it over. He was debating whether or not it would be a good idea.

 _Sam, I want her to know. If she's dealing with that shit at home, I want her to know that she can confide in me. I just want to be open with her so she can be open with me._

Sam took Paul's words into consideration.

 _I see that you already announced this to the others and by others I mean my lovely fiancé. I won't hear the end of it if I say no._

 _So…_ Paul began, not wanting to get his hopes up.

 _You can tell her now._

.-~*~-

Monday arrived fairly quickly and Kourtney was already bombarded by Christy for plans for the upcoming weekend.

"It's Derrick's birthday!" Christy exclaimed. "His friend's girlfriend's aunt, or something like that, owns one of the bars in Port Angeles. She's closing it down Saturday night strictly for Derrick's birthday."

"A bar?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, obviously we won't be able to drink, but it's Derrick's 21st so he wants to do something big!"

"Are we even allowed to be there?"

Christy nodded. "Eighteen and up allowed-"

"Except that I am not eighteen."

" _Yet_. Your birthday is next week! I'm sure they won't mind letting you in."

Kourtney shook her head.

"I don't know. I won't know anyone."

"You'll know me! Then you'll be meeting Derrick, so you'll know him! Kim and Jared might go!" Kourtney still wasn't convinced. "You can even invite Paul."

Kourtney rolled her eyes as Christy teased her.

"You two have been extra flirty with one other lately."

"Fine! I'll go if you stop all your ridiculous assumptions."

"There is nothing ridiculous about my assumptions!" Christy told her. "Not only have you and Paul been extra flirty, you two have been extra touchy feely with one another! His arm was practically draped around your shoulder the entire lunch period and you didn't even try to shrug it off!"

"Keep this up and I will take back my accepting your invitation!"

"Okay, okay. But seriously, if you want Paul to be there, you can invite him. Maybe even throw the word 'date' in there." Christy gave her a wink before walking into her class.

.-~*~-.

The week passed by and it was Friday again. Paul had yet to tell Kourtney about his big secret. As excited as he was to tell her, he didn't know how to approach the subject with her. Plenty of times he just wanted to blurt it out, but knew it wouldn't pan out so well. He knew he had to explain what shapeshifters were first. There was no doubt she heard the story of Taha Aki; every Quileute who grew up on the res knew the legend. Of course, most of them only knew it as just that: a legend.

Paul was stared into his locker, rehearsing one of many ways he thought of to tell Kourtney about being a shapeshifter. Seeing his distractedness, Kourtney slowly crept up behind him. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She was a good foot away, ready to pounce on him, when Paul turned around and swept her up in his arms.

Kourtney let out a scream and covered her mouth.

"You really thought you could scare me?" Paul asked as he set her back down. He laughed as she gave him a smack on the chest. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, embracing her once again.

"Stop invading Miss Hunt's personal bubble, Mr. Lahote!" The two teens immediately separated as Mr. Joseph passed by.

"Sorry," they both mumbled. Once he was gone. Kourtney gave Paul another smack.

"Always getting me in trouble, Lahote," Kourtney said. Paul closed his locker and the two walked out of the school.

"Finally!" Embry called as he pulled his car up in front of the school. "Hey, Kourtney!"

"Embry's your chauffeur now?" Kourtney asked, making Paul laugh while Embry feigned offense.

"I'll remember that, Hunt," Embry joked. "You ready, Paul?"

Paul nodded.

"I'll text you later, Kourt."

Kourtney waved as Paul walked towards Embry's car.

"Wait!" she called out. Paul turned and looked at her questioningly. She walked to him. "I've been meaning to ask you. Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Paul was caught off guard with the question. He ended up just shaking his head.

"Well, uh, Christy's boyfriend's birthday is on Saturday and he's having a birthday thing at Port Angeles. You wanna go?"

"Yeah," Paul said automatically.

"Uh, Paul," Embry said. "You got a second?"

Paul gave him an annoyed look.

"Weren't you supposed to help Sam out with something tomorrow?" Embry asked. Paul's look of annoyance changed to one of realization. Then he groaned.

"Can't you do that for me?" Paul asked Embry.

"Dude, I'm already doing it tonight. Plus I covered for you last week, too! Ask Jared!"

"Uh, I think Jared and Kim are going too," Kourtney offered.

"Too bad for you, bro," Embry told Paul.

"I'll talk to Sam," Paul finalized. He turned to Kourtney. "Count me in."

"No, don't. He won't make it. I, on the other hand-"

"Sorry Embry, it's only for 18 and up," Kourtney told him. Embry sighed in defeat. She looked at Paul. "I'm driving up there with Christy. So, if you do manage to come…I'll see you there?"

"I'll be there," Paul told her. Kourtney nodded. Paul watched her walk to her car.

"Sam is not going to okay you leaving the res! Especially if Jared is going to be gone, too," Embry told him.

The following morning, Paul walked into Emily's house with a big smile on his face.

"Damn it!" Embry cried. "Sam okayed it?"

"Yup, I just gotta make sure to tell Kourtney about the pack tonight. So, you can leave. I'll patrol until afternoon and then you can take my shift."

Embry grumbled under his breath.

"Thanks, bro!" Paul cried, clapping him on the shoulder.

Several hours later, Paul sat in the back of Jared's Jeep on the way to Port Angeles.

"You feeling alright, man?" Jared asked from the driver's seat.

"Yeah," Paul said.

"So, is this like a date?" Jared continued.

"This is not a date!" Kim cried. "It's a party for my cousin's boyfriend's birthday. This is not a suitable first date for them two!"

"Well, if it's not a date then are you nervous about finally telling her about the pack?"

Paul took a deep breath and nodded.

"How the hell do I even begin? How'd you tell Kim?"

Jared and Kim looked at one another.

"I just told her."

"You just told her? So you just said, 'Kim, I'm a shapeshifter and I protect the res from vampires'?"

"Pretty much," Jared said. "Easy peasy."

"And you believed him? Right off the bat?"

"No," Kim told him. "I humored him. Then I jokingly asked him to show and he took me to the forest and he phased right in front of me."

"But, you can't do that," Jared quickly said. "After what happened with Emily…"

"I know," Paul sighed. "How the hell do I tell her?"

"Maybe some alcohol will help," Jared suggested.

Both Paul and Kim smacked him on the back of his head.

"I'm driving!"

"You'll be fine, Paul," Kim assured him.

The rest of the car ride was quiet, save for Jared annoyingly singing along to the radio. Paul was more than ready to get out of the Jeep the second Jared parked. The three made their way into the bar.

"Over there!" Kim said, pointing to a table. Around the table, Kourtney was seated with Christy and a guy who Paul presumed to be Derrick.

Kourtney's eyes lit up when she saw Paul walking behind Jared and Kim. After saying hi to the couple, Kourtney made her way to Paul.

"You made it," she said with a smile. Paul noticed how her eyes twinkled, looking up at him.

"I told you I would."

"Paul, this is my boyfriend, Derrick!" Christy called from across the table. The guys all exchanged pleasantries. Derrick stayed and chatted with them for a bit before hitting the bar for drinks with his friends.

"Wanna step outside?" Paul asked Kourtney. She nodded. Paul grabbed her hand and led her through the people and out the bar.

"It was getting hot in there," Kourtney said. "But now it's cold out here!"

Paul immediately threw his arm around her shoulder. They took a seat on the bench outside of the bar.

"So, I take it, the boss man was cool with you going?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah," Paul said.

"So I have a question."

"I knew you would," Paul told her with a smile.

"What do you guys do exactly? I mean, Sam doesn't work or anything right?"

"He does," Paul told her. "He works with Old Quil on the Tribal Council."

"And you three help with that?"

Paul rubbed his neck.

"You don't have to say," Kourtney told him, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"Wanna walk?" he asked standing up. He offered his hand and Kourtney slowly took it. Now was a good time as any to tell her, Paul decided.

"What's your favorite story?" Paul asked her. "I mean, from all the different legends Old Quil told us during the bonfires."

"Uh, well…" Kourtney quickly tried to recall the legends from her childhood. "What does this have to do with my question exactly?"

"Just answer it," Paul insisted.

"Okay, but what if I don't really remember any of the legends?"

"Seriously?" Paul asked. "You don't remember Taha Aki and the Spirit Warriors?"

Kourtney stopped, prompting Paul to do the same.

"Wait, are you trying to say that you guys are…" Kourtney leaned in and whispered, "Spirit Warriors?"

Paul laughed. It was the perfect time to tell her, but he didn't. Instead he pulled her to him, his hands on her waist and pulling her closer until their bodies touched.

It was all too familiar. Paul was holding her like he did back in the parking lot of the school's football field. This time, however, Kourtney was ready for what was going to happen next. Paul's hand went to her cheek and slowly it slid down to her chin. He slowly tilted her chin up. Kourtney felt her heart hammering against her chest and she seemed to be holding her breath. As they slowly leaned closer, Kourtney closed her eyes. She felt Paul pull away. She opened her eyes and Paul was looking out in the distance.

"What's wrong?"

"Get inside," he told her in a low voice. "Get Jared and tell him I need him out here right now!"

"What-"

"Just go!" he told her firmly, gently pushing her back in the direction of the bar. He waited until Kourtney disappeared into the bar before running towards the scent of a vampire.

"Jared!" Kourtney called, trying to make her way through the crowd of people in the bar. "Jared!"

Kim and Jared looked up as Kourtney approached them, out of breath and her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Jared asked. "Where's Paul?"

"He's outside," Kourtney told him. "He told me to get inside and to find you. He said he needed you outside."

Jared shot up from his seat. He turned to Kim.

"Stay here, don't move! Both of you!" The girls both nodded as Jared ran out the bar.

"What's going on?" Kourtney asked.

"Nothing, let's just do what he says," Kim told her. "So what did you and Paul talk about?"

Kourtney noticed how nervous Kim suddenly looked. It made her uneasy.

"Uh, nothing," she instantly thought about them almost kissing. She debated on whether or not to share that information with Kim.

"Hey you two," Christy greeted as she took a seat. "Where are your boys?"

"They just took a step outside," Kim answered.

"Hi, baby!" Derrick cried as he came over. Kourtney scrunched her nose at the smell of alcohol he brought over. "Are you girls having fun? Sorry you can't drink! The Chief of Police is here. He's my boss!"

"It's okay," Kim said. "We're having fun anyway!"

"Where are your boyfriends?"

"Outside," Christy told him. The girls watched, amused, as a drunk Derrick began rambling about the people at the bar. He felt the need to tell all their life stories to them. Kourtney took that as an opportunity to slip away and head to the bathroom. As she neared the hallway where the bathroom was, she saw the line that formed outside the girls' restroom. She took her place at the back of the line.

"Are you one of Christy's friends?" the girl in front of her asked. Kourtney nodded.

"Are you all from the La Push reservation?"

Kourtney nodded again.

"Are all the guys as hot as your boyfriends?" Kourtney laughed and the girl, who was obviously tipsy, giggled.

While Kourtney was enjoying her conversation with the tipsy girl, Kim was enjoying listening to Derrick's anecdotes. It was only when Derrick went off with one of his buddies to do another shot that she realized Kourtney was gone.

"Where's Kourt?" Kim asked frantically.

"I don't know," Christy said. Panic set in and Kim got up from her seat to look for Kourtney. She headed to the bathroom. Before she turned the corner, she saw a figure with long dark hair slip out the door leading to the back. Kim followed.

"Kourtney!" Kim yelled out. "Stay here!" Kim pushed open the door and step out into the cool night air. The door led to the alley behind the bar. "Kourt?"

"Are you lost?" a voice asked. Kim screamed and spun around. The man she faced was good-looking. His skin seemed to glow under the moonlight. His dark hair was shaggy and felt a little past his shoulders. Kim's looked into his eyes. They were dark…red. Kim opened her mouth. "Don't scream. I'll be quick."

The man opened his mouth and Kim saw his teeth. _Vampire_! Kim stumbled back and tried to fight him off. She opened her eyes when she heard a loud growl. Relief came over her as she saw Jared in his wolf form standing over the vampire. She made eye contact with Kim and she scrambled to her feet and disappeared back in the bar.

"Kim!" Kourtney cried as Kim ran into her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Th-there was a guy," Kim began, trying to keep her tears from falling. Kourtney tried her best to understand her.

"A guy attacked you?" Kourtney asked. She took a step towards the exit door.

"No, don't!" Kim said. "Let's just go!"

Kourtney tried to protest, but Kim took her by the arm and led her towards the front of the bar.

"We should tell Christy. I mean, the Chief of Police is here-"

"No, it's okay, Kourtney!"

Kourtney stopped walking and grabbed Kim by the shoulders.

"We are telling someone! They can catch that asshole who attacked you!"

"Kim!" Jared's voice boomed over the crowd and Kim instantly heard him. She ran to him and Jared hugged her tight.

"Jared," Kourtney said, wanting to tell him what happened.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jared cried, advancing on Kourtney. She took a few steps back, unsure of what she did that caused Jared's outburst.

"Jared, stop!" Kim said, trying to pull him away.

"Do you know what you almost did? You almost got Kim killed!"

"Wha- How?"

"Why the hell would you just leave her?"

"Hey!" Paul cried, as he arrived. He made his way in front of Kourtney, shielding her from Jared.

"This is all her fucking fault, Paul!" Jared stumbled back as Paul pushed him away.

"Stop yelling at her! She didn't know!"

"Yeah, because you haven't fucking told her! Just tell her! Tell her, Paul!"

"You two need to leave!" a big guy said. "Leave now, or I will throw both of you in jail!"

Kim pulled Jared away. Paul took hold of Kourtney's hand and started for the door.

"What happened in there?" Christy asked. "Did they kick you out?"

"No, I, uh, I'm just tired. So I'm just gonna head home," Kourtney said. Paul could feel her hand shake in his. He rubbed small circles on her hand.

"Are you sure? You can crash at Derrick's-"

"No, I'm good to drive," Kourtney said. Christy nodded her head.

"Are you guys leaving, too, then?"

"Yeah," Kim said. "I'm riding with Kourt." She turned to the two guys. "You guys do what you want."

With that, Kim started walking towards Kourtney's car.

"Babe! Are you seriously mad at _me?_ " Jared cried.

Christy and Kourtney exchanged looks. Kourtney just shrugged.

"I'll text you later," Christy told her.

Kourtney nodded. She took her hand from Paul's and gave him a small smile. Kourtney walked over to her car, where Kim was already waiting.

"Kim!" Jared called out.

"Leave her alone Jared."

"Shut up, Lahote. This is all your girl's fault."

"Let's just go. They can sort it out themselves," Kim told her. Kourtney nodded and got in the car. After buckling up, she pulled out of the parking lot. The two guys were nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry about Jared," Kim said softly. "He's a bit protective at times."

"It's alright. I just, I don't understand what the hell happened. Why was be blaming me for almost getting you killed?"

"It's nothing," Kim said. "It's just a misunderstanding, okay?"

Kourtney nodded, knowing that Kim was still upset. She didn't want to push the issue. She turned the radio on and let the music take over the awkward silence.

.-~*~-.

 **P: Still up?**

 **K: Yeah.**

 **P: Im out front.**

"Hey, are you okay?" Paul asked as he pulled her into a hug. Kourtney buried her face in his chest and inhaled his scent. "Are you okay?"

Kourtney nodded.

"Just a little shaken up still." She pulled away from him. She gave him a small smile and sat on a step. Paul joined her. "I just don't understand what I did-"

"Don't worry about it," Paul said. "He's just-"

"Oh my God! What happened to your face?" Kourtney asked. She turned Paul's face to inspect it. His left eye was blacked and his lip was split.

"Uh, it's nothing."

"Did you get in a fight?" Paul didn't answer. "Did you and Jared fight?"

"Just a little…scuffle, really."

"What? Why?"

"He had no reason to yell at you," Paul told her, his voice serious.

"Paul, you didn't have to do that. Jared's like your best friend."

"I know. I also know that we'll be fine. We'll probably just laugh about it tomorrow." Kourtney still looked concerned. Paul placed a hand on her leg. "We'll be fine, Kourt. Jared knows he was in the wrong. He feels guilty about it, okay? Don't be surprised if he comes to see you tomorrow with his tail between his legs."

Paul laughed. Kourtney only gave half a smile.

"What's the matter?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"I just… I never knew Jared could get that angry… It was actually pretty scary. I was terrified."

Paul pulled her into a hug again. He was starting to rethink his plan about telling her about being a shape shifter.

* * *

 **AN:** This was a long one! I hope you enjoyed! Maybe I need to make my chapters longer. Stay tuned for the next chapter. What should you expect? Well...Kourtney's birthday is coming up, big brother Cody is back in town for the holidays with his new girlfriend, and Kourtney surprises herself with an accidental confession to her brother. ;)


	24. Chapter 24

It was a special day for Kourtney: her 18th birthday. After being sung Happy Birthday by her dad over the traditional birthday pancakes, Kourtney opened the front door to Paul Lahote.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Good morning to you, too, birthday girl." Kourtney laughed. "Sorry, you just surprised me. Good morning."

"I figured since it was your birthday and all that I'd pick you up."

"Okay, thanks," Kourtney said.

She called out to her dad, letting him know that she was on her way to school. After getting a response, Kourtney stepped outside.

"Shall we?" Paul asked, offering her his arm.

"Sometimes you are just too cheesy," Kourtney told him.

She linked her arm with his anyway.

"How's Embry getting to school?" Kourtney asked as they neared the school.

"I don't know. He wasn't home when I stopped by," Paul told her.

After parking, Paul helped her down from his truck. They walked side by side, their arms so close that they casually touched every few steps. They both secretly fought the urge to just hold hands. The second they entered the school building, Kourtney saw the small group of senior girls huddled in front of her locker.

"Uh oh," Kourtney said. "I anticipate trouble." Paul laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing bad."

"If Moni and Kayla are involved, there is a big chance that it is bad."

Paul gently pushed her towards her friends and continued onto his locker.

"Happy Birthday!" the senior girls cried when they saw Kourtney.

Kourtney smiled at her friends. She saw that her locker door was decorated with several pictures of her with the girls. Leslie handed her a giant gift bag.

"This is from us. We all got you a little something."

"Thanks! This is so sweet and nice!" Kourtney told them.

"Sit with us at lunch," Moni told her. "The guys said they'd buy you cake." Kourtney nodded. "You can tell your other friends they can sit with us, too."

Kourtney bit back a laugh as she saw Paul roll his eyes.

"Thanks, I'll do just that."

"And we also have an idea," Kayla started.

"Yeah?" Kourtney asked. She was afraid of what the answer was.

"Since you are officially 18, the last of us senior girls to be legal, we thought that we all should hit up Seattle this weekend and go to the clubs!"

Kourtney made eye contact with Paul and quickly gave him an 'I told you so' look. He closed his locker and leaned against it, waiting for her response.

"So what do you say? Celebrate your birthday this weekend in Seattle?" Kayla asked.

"Just us girls," Moni added.

"It's kinda short notice," Kourtney began.

"We have everything set up!" Kayla said. "We got a hotel room booked. Moni's dad agreed to let us use his car-"

"And my cousin knows one of the bouncers for the club. He can get us in and we don't have to wait in line!"

"As for the alcohol-"

"No alcohol!" Kourtney said. "I will go only if you all agree to no alcohol!"

"Fine, fine. So you're in?"

Kourtney nodded her head. A weekend away from the res was appealing to her. Kayla squealed with delight and gave Kourtney a hug.

"This is going to be so fun!" The girls all laughed. "We'll see you later, Kourt!"

Paul waited until the girls were at the other side of the hall before approaching.

"So I'm guessing you're not free for me to take you out to dinner this weekend?"

"Sorry," Kourtney said. "If you wanted to do something, you should've asked first."

Paul laughed.

"Well, are you free tonight?" Kourtney shook her head. "My parents and I always go out to dinner for birthdays. How about tomorrow?"

Paul shook his head.

"I have something to do tomorrow night."

"Saturday I'll be in Seattle. So Sunday?"

"Maybe. We usually have dinner at Emily's-"

"Hey guys!" Kim greeted. "Happy birthday, Kourtney! You're finally legal!" Kourtney laughed. "You're going to Emily's on Sunday too? Emily would love that! She says you need to come by more often!"

Paul groaned internally. Kourtney gave him an apologetic look.

"Yeah," she said, not wanting to disappoint Emily or Kim. "I'll be going to Emily's on Sunday for dinner. Maybe we can work something out for next week?"

Paul nodded.

"I'll see you in class, I just need a second with Kim."

Once Kourtney was a good distance away, Paul gave Kim a look.

"I'm guessing I did something wrong?"

"We were making plans to have dinner together. Alone. Just us two!"

"Sorry!"

"It's alright," Paul sighed. "Hopefully I have better luck next week."

.-~*~-.

Kourtney stopped at the sight of Jared leaning on her locker. She debated whether or not to turn around and just slip away. Before she could decide, he looked up. Straightening up, Jared offered her a small smile. Kourtney did her best to offer one in return. Seeing she had no other choice, she continued her walk to her locker.

"Hi, Kourtney," Jared said. "Happy birthday!"

Kourtney was surprised at the greeting and at the small gift bag that Jared held out to her.

"Don't expect anything too big," Jared continued. Kourtney smiled and thanked him as she took the bag. "I also wanted to apologize for Saturday. I'm sorry that I flew off the handle and blamed you. I'm sorry for yelling at you and for scary you too."

"It's okay," Kourtney finally spoke. "And I'm sorry if I did anything to warrant that reaction from you."

Jared shook his head.

"No, you didn't do anything. It wasn't your fault."

Kourtney nodded her head then looked up at him.

"What exactly wasn't my fault? I really still don't understand what happened."

Jared shook his head again.

"Let's just let it go, yeah?"

She hesitated but eventually nodded her head in agreement.

.-~*~-.

The view of the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean waves was beautiful. Kourtney kept her eyes on the view as her parents sat in silence, her mother on her phone and her father reading over the menu. They already gave their orders, so Kourtney knew her dad was just giving himself occupied.

"How's work, Daddy?" Kourtney asked.

"It's going well. Just going through some changes and updates."

"Like what?"

"Confidential, sweetie."

Kourtney laughed then stopped when her dad looked at her.

"Seriously? La Push isn't that big of a community. What needs to be confidential?"

Mr. Hunt sighed.

"Like I said, confidential."

Kourtney nodded then looked at her mom who was still busy on her phone.

"How's your work, Mom?" From the corner of her eyes, Kourtney saw her dad roll his eys. "Mom?"

"Huh?" Mrs. Hunt finally said, looking up from her phone.

"How's work?"

"Oh, fine. Just fine, honey. You know, they do have an opening for a dietary aide-"

"You know I can't stand hospitals," Kourtney reminded her.

"How about the senior center?"

Kourtney shook her head. Their server returned with their orders.

"You know, working at the hospital can be very rewarding," her mom continued.

"I know, but it's too depressing for me."

"How? It's a place where people get better."

"Not always," Kourtney told her. "Sometimes they get the opposite of better."

"Kourtney, dear, you should at least try it-"

"She said no, Cynthia," Mr. Hunt said firmly.

Kourtney looked down, knowing what was going to happen next.

"I was only trying to get her to consider being a nurse," Mrs. Hunt said, coolly.

"You already know hospitals scare Kourtney."

"She needs to start thinking about what she wants to do. She's going off to college next year already!"

"I'm sure Kourtney is capable of deciding for herself. She is now an adult after all," Mr. Hunt said, looking at Kourtney. She was picking at her food, trying to drown out her parents. He sighed.

"We can discuss this later with her," Mrs. Hunt said.

"I'm right here. Stop talking as if I'm not here," Kourtney muttered.

The table got silent. Kourtney continued to pick at her food while Mrs. Hunt tried to enjoy hers. Mr. Hunt rested his elbows on the table, something he knew his wife hated. He studied his daughter. He couldn't believe that she was already eighteen, a legal adult. Very soon she'd be off to college. He looked at his wife. A pang of sadness hit him when he realized, for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last few months, that he no longer saw the woman who he fell in love with.

He suddenly felt old and weary. Between the stress of changes in his job and the arguing at home to trying to keep up appearances in public, Jerry Hunt was wearing down. He knew Kourtney had an idea that something was going on, yet she never asked or talked about it.

The ringing of a cell phone brought him back to the table. His wife glanced at her phone, sighed, and then put it away. She looked up and Jerry caught her gaze. He gave her a small, sad smile. She looked away. He pulled out his own phone, glanced at the time, and cleared his throat.

"We should pack this up. I forgot that I agreed to take over Fisher's shift tonight."

Kourtney nodded and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. It hurt Jerry's heart seeing the look of disappointment mixed with anger and sadness on his daughter's face. He rubbed his face. Yes, he was feeling very worn down. He raised his hand and called for their server.

.-~*~-.

The birthday girl was on her bed, just staring at the ceiling. After coming home, her dad quickly changed into his uniform and headed out for his shift. Soon after, her mother changed into her scrubs and announced that they needed her at the hospital.

Kourtney was left all alone on her eighteenth birthday. She glanced at her cell phone in her hand. She called Paul twice to see if he was free for dinner since she barely got to eat. Both times it went to voicemail.

Kourtney rolled over and plugged her phone into the charger. She stomach growled. She clutched it, hoping it would stop and her hunger would subside. After a few more minutes, Kourtney decided to tame her growling stomach.

She stood up and was ready to exit her room when she saw glanced out her window and saw Quil at his window. She approached the window and opened it just as Quil opened his.

"Isn't it your birthday?" Quil asked.

"Yeah," Kourtney answered.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks!"

"No plans tonight?"

"Eh, my parents cut my birthday dinner short. They both had work."

"Oh, that must suck." Kourtney nodded her head. "How about Paul?"

"Called him twice, no answer. He's probably busy or hanging out with his friends." This prompted her to look at her cell phone to see if Paul sent a text. The indicator on her phone showed nothing.

"At Emily's? That's where they hang out right?"

Kourtney nodded her head.

"That's probably where Embry is too."

Kourtney felt bad for Quil. It was obvious that not being friends with Embry still affected him. Unlike Jacob, Quil seemed more hurt than angry over it.

"What are you up?" Kourtney asked, hoping to move his mind on from Embry.

"Nothing, just some video games. I'm sick of doing homework. My only other friend is busy helping his dad with something."

"That sucks. You need more friends."

"At least it isn't my birthday," Quil fired back, making Kourtney laugh.

"I guess I can be your friend. Wanna come over for some pizza?"

"Paul won't mind?"

"Why would he?"

Quil shrugged.

"I just don't want kicking my ass or anything."

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about, Paul. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything."

"Alright, I'll be right over then! Order pepperoni with extra cheese!"

.-~*~-.

"You were at Kourtney's house?"

Paul looked around. His eyes landed on Quil and Jacob who were on the other end of the hallway.

"Yeah, she was in her room and she looked sad. Her parents left her on her birthday and she invited me over for some pizza and a movie."

"Hey!" Paul called.

Quil immediately stopped walking and Jacob glared at Paul. Embry heard Paul's yell and saw him approaching his two friends. Not knowing what was going on, Embry was immediately by Paul's side just in case something happened.

"You were at Kourtney's last night?"

"Paul," Embry warned. He could only assume that Paul didn't like the fact that Quil spent time with Kourtney. Jacob looked at Embry.

"Her parents weren't home?" Paul asked.

"What's going on guys?" Kourtney said as she approached the group. Quil avoided eye contact with her.

"Let's go, Quil," Jacob said, still staring down Paul and Embry.

Kourtney looked from Paul to Embry, waiting for one of them to answer her question. Embry only walked away, looking upset.

"Okay," she turned to Paul, hoping he would fill her in. "What was that about?"

"He's probably just upset over his situation with Jacob and Quil. So, I heard that Quil was over last night."

"Yeah, we just ordered a pizza and watched a movie."

Paul walked with her even though his next class was at the opposite side of the hall.

"I heard. And your parents left you? On your birthday?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"They had work. I tried calling you."

"Yeah, I saw," Paul told her. "Sorry, I was busy. I didn't see your calls until it was too late to call you back."

"It's okay," Kourtney said, giving a smile. "What were you doing up so late?"

"Just helping Sam with something."

Paul prepared himself for the usual questioning of what they did at night.

"Well, I'll see you later," Kourtney said instead. "I don't want you to be late for your class."

Paul nodded, relieved that she didn't question him yet again. Two weeks had passed since Sam allowed him to tell Kourtney, and he still hadn't. He was hoping that next week would be the time.

.-~*~-.

Paul walked into Emily's dining room.

"She's not answering," Paul said irritably.

"Embry, don't even think about saying what you're about to say," Emily said from her place at the table.

The youngest pack member obeyed, but still looked smug. Paul glared at him The taunting that Embry did from the day before replayed in Paul's mind.

' _Aren't you the least bit worried about Kourtney going clubbing in Seattle?' 'There's bound to be alcohol involved. Moni and Kayla are trouble!' 'Seattle is like a dozen times bigger than La Push, bro. More guys for her to choose from than here.'_

Of course, Embry was only teasing and purposely trying to push Paul's buttons. It worked. The two boys ended up in another fight, causing Sam to take over Embry's shift with Paul. Now, the two boys made up, yet Embry still felt the need to try and irritate Paul.

"Hey guys!" Kourtney's voice called from the kitchen entrance. "Sorry, I'm late! It was hard getting out of bed today."

Emily stood up from her seat.

"It's okay! Happy belated birthday!"

Kourtney greeted Emily and Kim with hugs. She made her way to the chair beside Paul. She gave him a smile.

"I guess you had a lot of fun in Seattle, huh?" Embry said wriggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah! Running around and taking care of my drunk friends was a lot of fun," Kourtney replied, rolling her eyes. "They did more celebrating than I did! We didn't leave Seattle until 10 and I took a nap once I got home. I only woke up half an hour ago."

"I hope you're hungry then!"

"I am!" Jared cried.

"Starving!" Embry added.

"Yeah, thanks for holding us up, Hunt," Paul joined in.

"Shush boys!" Emily chided. "Dig in, girls."

Kourtney, Kim, and Emily took their share before letting the boys take the rest.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you," Jared said, after swallowing his food. "How'd you like the present?"

Kourtney laughed.

"It's cute. Thanks."

"What'd he get you?" Kim asked. "He told me to ask you and I keep forgetting."

"He got me a little stuffed animal."

"Tell them what animal," Jared said with a smile.

"A wolf."

Everyone laughed.

"Let me guess," Paul said. "It's a grey one?"

Kourtney nodded.

"How'd you know?"

Paul shrugged.

"It's a very random present," Kourtney told him.

"Not really," Jared said.

Kourtney gave him a questioning look. She noticed him send a look to Paul. Kourtney turned to Paul.

"What's he talking about?"

"I'll tell you later."

It didn't take long for everyone to finish their dinner.

"Embry, you got dishes tonight," Emily told him.

"What? Who's gonna help me?"

"I-"

"Do it yourself," Paul told him as he covered Kourtney's mouth.

Embry was ready to argue, but a distinct howling reached the ears of the three shapeshifters. All three guys looked at one another as if confirming that they all heard their alpha's call. The sudden tension between the three didn't go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

Paul and Embry looked to Jared, the beta of the pack. Jared caught Embry's eye and gave him a slight nod.

"I gotta go," Embry told her.

Emily took a second before nodding.

"Go!" she told him, worry setting in.

"Kourt, we should go, too," Paul told her. "I'll take you home."

"But I drove here," Kourtney told him.

"Uh, I need Paul's truck to drop Kim off. Something's wrong with my car," Jared said.

"I can drop off Kim-"

"No!" Paul and Jared cried at the same time.

"Sorry," Paul said, rubbing her back. "Let's go."

"Wait, I can just-"

"Babe, let's just go!" Paul said.

"Okay," Kourtney finally said.

She gave a quick wave as Paul ushered her out the door. The two jogged to her car. Once inside and buckled, Paul turned the engine and sped off. It only took them a few minutes to reach Kourtney's house.

"What's going on?" Kourtney asked, not making a move to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"It was just getting late," Paul said, unbuckling his seatbelt in hopes she would follow suit.

"It's not even close to 7 yet."

Paul didn't answer and instead took that time to hop out of the truck. Kourtney unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door as Paul appeared on her side.

"Come on."

"Paul, what is going on?"

"Kourtney?"

The two teens looked up as a deputy car pulled up.

"Dad? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, just fine sweetie. Just wanted to check on you. Well, you should go ahead and get inside. Paul, I can give you a lift back to Emily's."

"Yes, sir," Paul said. The way Kourtney's dad looked at him made him not want to be too close to Kourtney. He was after all the chief deputy who Paul had a few run ins with. Paul took a step back, allowing Kourtney to hop out of the truck.

"Go ahead. My shift will be over in a few hours." Kourtney nodded and gave Paul a wave. "Come on, young Lahote."

.-~*~-.

Kourtney opened her locker Monday morning and was met with a surprise. Sitting on the top shelf of her locker was a small red box with a gold bow on top. Kourtney looked around. All the students around her were busy with their own activities. She saw no signs of who left the gift. She reached for the box and saw a short message scribbled on a small card.

 _ **Happy 18**_ _ **th**_ _ **– P**_

Kourtney smiled. She opened the box and gasped at the beautiful bracelet nestled in the box. Kourtney gently picked it up. The only two charms on the bracelet were the letters K and H.

"Ooh, who is that from?" Devin asked from behind Kourtney. He walked around so that he was now in front of her. "It's from Lahote, huh?" Kourtney only smiled. "Are you two finally together?"

Kourtney shook her head as she told him, "Just friends."

"Well, that's an expensive gift to give to just a friend."

Kourtney looked up at Devin. He gave her a smile and wave before walking off. She glanced back down at the bracelet. He was right. It was an expensive gift. Fighting the want to clasp it on her wrist, Kourtney put the bracelet back in the box and set it back on the shelf. She headed to class, waiting for Paul to ask about his choice of gift for her. She soon realized that Paul wasn't at school since he never showed up for first period. It made her wonder if the gift really was from him. She didn't know anyone else with the first name initial of P.

The end of school came around and still no sign of Paul. Kourtney was at locker, admiring the bracelet once again.

"Do you like it?"

Kourtney turned and saw Paul walking up.

"So it was from you?" Paul nodded.

"Who else would it be from?"

Kourtney laughed.

"I don't know.

"So, do you like it?" he asked nervously. "It fits you right?"

Kourtney admitted that she hadn't tried it on yet.

"Why not?" Paul frowned. He took the bracelet from her and reached for her left hand. He wrapped the bracelet around her wrist and clasped it on. "Fits well."

"It's too much, Paul," she told him.

"You're telling me," he said, rubbing his neck. Kourtney gave him a look.

"No, I can't accept it." Kourtney started to unclasp the bracelet. Paul placed his hand on top of hers.

"It's fine, Kourtney. I don't mind," he told her. Kourtney bit her lip. "Besides I probably spent more on buying you all those lunches during the summer."

Kourtney laughed.

"Hey! I always offered to pay you back, but you never let me." Paul gave her a smile and just shrugged. "Okay, how about I pay you back now? When are you free for dinner?"

"Wait, are you asking me out on a date?"

"No! You were the one who brought up having dinner this week, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Paul said. "So when are _you_ free?"

"I'll be free up until Friday. Cody's flying in for the holidays."

"So Thursday?" Paul asked. If anything he would've asked her out to dinner that night, but he didn't want to seem desperate.

"Thursday works," Kourtney agreed.


	25. Chapter 25

It was finally Thursday night and Paul sat across from Kourtney at River's Edge Restaurant. Matt, noting the two dressed up teens, had the right idea of sitting them at the table with the best, and most romantic, view of the ocean. As the two teens looked over the menu, a middle-aged woman made her way to their table.

"Good evening you two," she greeted. "You two look nice tonight."

"Thanks, Alicia," Paul said as the woman set their drink orders down. Paul consciously tugged at the collar of his dark green button up. He was too used to just wearing simple v-necks ever since he became a shape shifter. The times when he wasn't wearing a shirt, he was shirtless.

"You look pretty, sweetie," Alicia told Kourtney. "Doesn't she look beautiful, Paul? Especially in this lighting? With the moonlight."

Kourtney gave a nervous laugh. She tucked her hair behind her ear. She wore her black hair down. The rich purple color of her blouse contrasted nicely with her black hair and tan skin. It was a color that always looked good on her.

"She does," he agreed. Paul smiled at her, making Kourtney look down shyly.

"Are you two ready to order?" Matt asked, appearing beside Alicia.

"Kourt?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll try the salmon," she told him. Paul placed in his order for steak.

"You two enjoy yourselves tonight," Alicia said and departed with a wink. Kourtney and Paul looked at one another before dissolving into laughter.

"Is it gonna be like this all night?" Kourtney asked. Paul looked around the restaurant. It wasn't a busy night with only a handful of customers. A few of the staff were hanging around the bar, talking. He made eye contact with Chris, Alicia's husband and the manager. He gave Paul a thumb's up.

"Maybe," Paul said. He wondered when every who worked for the restaurant knew about him and Kourtney. Or at least knew about how he felt for Kourtney. With how they all were acting, it was clear they were rooting for the two to get together. It was enough support to give him the boost he needed to step outside the friend zone that Kourtney repeatedly put him in.

"So…" Kourtney began. Paul cleared his throat.

"Are you going to the dance on Saturday?"

Kourtney shook her head. Paul cursed to himself.

"Knowing Cody he probably wants to go do something. Probably head to Port Angeles or something. Are you going?"

"Unfortunately yeah," Paul told her. Kourtney looked surprised

"Who're you going with?" Kourtney asked. The list of possible girls was short, so it made her wonder if it was a girl she didn't know. Kaitlyn came to her mind. She sipped on her drink to distract her from her thoughts.

"No one," Paul said. Kourtney breathed a small sigh of relief. "But I will be playing chaperone to Embry." Kourtney laughed.

"That's…interesting," Kourtney said.

"Kim is going and she's dragging Jared along again. So, we'll all be there, just in case you change your mind."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Matt arrived with their food right on time. They both thanked him. The next few minutes were quietly spent eating. Alicia and Matt continuously passed by their table to make sure everything was going well.

"Is it just me or are you also feeling-"

"Like everyone is watching our every move?" Kourtney finished. She nodded her head.

"Are you done?" Paul looked at her nearly empty plate. He called for Matt to bring their check. While Matt was busy with Pauls' request, Alicia made her way back to their table.

"Done already? Are you sure? No dessert for you two?" Alicia asked.

"No, thank you."

"We're good, thanks," Paul told her. He waited until she was out of earshot. "I love her, but…"

Kourtney laughed.

"Here you go," Matt said, arriving with their check. Kourtney reached for it just as Paul did.

"What are you doing?" Paul asked, grabbing it away from her. "Your money is no good here."

"I thought this was me paying you back."

"I can't let you pay for your own birthday dinner," Paul said as he pulled out money and put it inside the booklet. He handed it back to Matt. "Just keep the change."

Matt thanked them both and went on his way.

"If you want to pay me back, graciously accept my birthday gift for you." He looked down at her wrist and was pleased to see that she still had the bracelet on.

"Thank you," Kourtney told him. The two got up from their table.

"Can we go this way?" Kourtney asked, pointing to the door that led to the dock nearby. Paul gestured for her to lead the way. Kourtney opened the door and the smell of salty ocean water invaded her nose. She breathed it in. She felt Paul's hand on her waist, making her look up at him. He pointed to a bench that faced the ocean. They walked and sat down.

Despite wearing a coat, the ocean breeze intensified the cold. She scooted closer to Paul and he rested his arm across her shoulders. The two remained quiet. Kourtney admired how the moonlight reflected on the ocean. She could barely make out the small waves. The gentle rolling of the waves was hypnotizing for her. While her attention was held by the ocean, Paul's attention was on her. Over the past few weeks, Paul noticed how more comfortable Kourtney was with getting close to him. Not to mention the countless flirtatious moments between them. Paul wanted nothing more than to just admit to her, right then and there, that he had feelings for her. That he wanted to be with her, that he knew they were soul mates and belonged together.

"Wow, I forgot just how calming it is, just sitting and listening to the waves," Kourtney said, breaking up his thoughts.

"Yeah, too bad you can't see shit." Although he couldn't see her face, he knew that she probably rolled her eyes at his comment.

"The last time I did this was way back in the summer. Fourth of July."

"I remember that night."

It was the night before his then best friend was set to get on a plane and fly to Los Angeles for college. Even after all the drinking he did, the realization that he was being left behind was enough to sober him up. Wanting some fresh air and place to clear his head, Paul stepped out of the beach house and to the beach. He remembered being so observed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Kourtney.

"A lot has changed since then," he said.

"Yeah, it has," Kourtney said quietly. "I was determined to make senior year the best year. And now…let's just say it hasn't been anything like I expected."

"You and me both. I had to quit the football team."

"I quit the cheerleading squad."

"Stopped hanging with those two douchebags."

Kourtney laughed.

"We both stopped hanging out with toxic people in our lives," Kourtney decided to say. Paul scoffed.

"You just spent the weekend in Seattle with them!"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just thought it'd be fine. They obviously aren't hanging the whole betraying Marianne fiasco over my head anymore. So I thought…ah, I don't know what I thought."

"You thought that they'd deserve a second chance to be your friends," Paul told her. "Sometimes you're just too nice, Hunt."

"Hey, give me some credit! I didn't give Alex a second chance."

Paul thought to remind her of her make-out session with Alex, but thought better of it.

"True," he said instead. "Another big change. You breaking up with Alex and me breaking up with Marianne."

It was the one topic that they avoided talking about, yet Paul felt the need to finally address it.

"That was probably the worst change this year," Kourtney said in a soft voice. "But, I guess I learned from it. It made me better, stronger. And honestly, it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders."

Paul nodded his head.

"Well, despite all the changes, a few things still stayed the same," Kourtney said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Not for me. I feel like my whole world has just been tossed upside down ever since…I got sick."

"No, there are still some things that are the same. Like…you're still a jerk."

"Shut up, Hunt."

"And you still say that," Kourtney joked. Paul smiled and continued to look into the ocean. "And you're still a good friend."

"Friend," Paul repeated. He sighed. Kourtney bit her lip. She knew she said the wrong thing. She knew that Paul had some feelings for her and she didn't mean to insinuate that she just saw him as a friend. "Right back atcha, Hunt."

An awkward silence drifted over them. Paul was trying to get his emotions in check. He didn't want to have to leave Kourtney just because he had to phase. When he was certain that he had his emotions under control, he finally spoke again.

"What are your plans for break?"

"Uh, nothing really. Just spend time with my brother and my parents. How about you?"

"Nothing too spectacular. Besides helping Sam out, I'll probably help my dad out with some fishing. Spend more time with him."

"Fishing out in the cold, that sounds…fun," Kourtney said.

"It is. You should join us some time." Paul looked at her.

"Maybe when it starts warming up."

"Really?" Paul asked, surprised yet pleased.

"Yeah, why not?" Kourtney told him. "I haven't been out on a boat since I was ten."

"Alright, I'll hold you to that."

"I'm sure you will." Kourtney smiled, glad to see Paul excited and happy.

"The second it gets warm out, I'm taking you out on the boat." Kourtney laughed.

"Okay, okay!"

A stronger breeze brought chills to Kourtney. Feeling her start to shiver, Paul pulled her even closer. Kourtney snuggled closer to him.

"My hands are freezing," she told him.

"Let me take care of that for you," he said as he reached for her hands. She was amazed at how warm his hands were while hers were ice cold.

"How in the world are you so warm right now?" she asked.

"For a second there I thought you were gonna call me hot again," Paul joked as he started to rub her hands. Kourtney giggled. She watched Paul's hand slowly rub hers. His thumb made circles around the top of her hand. He gently turned her hand over and did the same with her palm. His thumb slowly slid around hers and his hand rested on hers. Ever so slowly, Kourtney moved her fingers to fit in between Paul's. Kourtney's heart hammered against her chest and Paul responded by closing his hand over hers. She looked at him and he smiled. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on it. Kourtney smiled. Paul brought his other hand onto her cheek, using his thumb to gently stroke it.

The sudden ringing of her phone ruined the moment. Kourtney debated whether or not to answer it, but by the fourth ring it was evident the caller wasn't hanging up anytime soon.

"Sorry," Kourtney muttered. She reluctantly took her hand back from Paul and reached for her phone in her pocket. It was her brother's number. She rolled her eyes, realizing she could have just let it gone to voicemail, but it didn't matter now. She was sure the moment between them was gone. "What do you want Cody?"

" _Finally,"_ Cody said on the other line. " _Hello to you too."_

"Hello. What do you want?"

" _I would like a ride from the airport."_

"Okay," Kourtney told him. "Dad and I are going to be ones to pick you up."

" _Yeah, I need a ride like now. My plane landed half an hour ago."_

"What?" Kourtney cried. She looked at Paul, who seemed to have heard everything. He stood up and she followed suit. He took hold of her hand and walked beside her. "I thought your flight was tomorrow!"

" _I forgot to call with the change of plans. I tried calling Dad then Mom, and you were the only one who picked up."_

"Okay, I'll head over. I'll be there in a bit."

Kourtney hung up the phone just as they reached Paul's truck. He opened the door for her. Rather than climbing in, she turned to face him, offering an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Paul reassured her. Kourtney felt her phone vibrate in her hand. The ringing sound followed a second later. Kourtney sighed.

"Hello?" she answered, getting into Paul's truck.

" _Did your brother call you?"_ came her mother's voice.

"Yeah, he did. He's at the airport. Said he's been there for half an hour already."

" _I'm coming off shift so I can go ahead and pick him up. Your father's still working, so I need you to get home and warm up that lasagna for your brother."_

"Okay, bye."

"So, no more airport?" Paul asked. Kourtney shook her head.

"Just home."

The five minute drive back to Kourtney's house was a quiet. Getting used to Paul's gentlemanly ways, she waited for him to open her door. He held out his hand to help her out of the truck. Their hands remained clasped as he walked her to the front of her house.

"Well, thank you for dinner," she told him once they reached the front door. "It was nice, until the interruption."

"Yeah, it was," Paul said. "We should do it again."

Kourtney nodded.

"Maybe next week?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you could steal me away for a night from my family. I'll probably need it," Kourtney laughed.

"And maybe this time it can be an actual date," Paul said. Kourtney looked surprised at his suggestion. Just when he thought she would reject the idea, she smiled and nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea."

Paul beamed down at Kourtney. As tempted as he was to lean in for a kiss, he decided to hold off. After all, their first date was next week. Instead he kissed her hand again.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Paul told her.

"Good night, Paul." Kourtney watched Paul walk down the path and get into his car. She gave a wave as he started his truck and drove away. Kourtney fished out her key to unlock the front door. The sound of a car approaching made her look up. It was her mom. Puzzled at her mom's homecoming, Kourtney headed down to meet her.

"I thought you were picking up Cody," Kourtney said.

"I thought so too," her mom replied. The look of annoyance on her face did not go unnoticed to Kourtney. She had a feeling it was due to her dad. "Your father was already in Forks. He didn't bother to tell me until after I clocked out."

Kourtney sighed. She was hoping having her brother visit for the holidays would help ease the tension at the house, already it was evident that it wouldn't.

"Well, as long as someone is there to pick up Cody," Kourtney said. She turned and headed back the door. Going straight to her room, Kourtney changed and decided to stay in bed until her brother and dad came home. She was about to open her book when a soft knock came from the door. It opened shortly after, her mom poking her head in.

"Sleeping already?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Just gonna wait up for dad and Cody."

"It's a school night," her mom said.

"It's fine, Mom." Kourtney set her book down as her mom made her way in and sat at the foot of her bed.

"So, as I was driving up, I passed by Paul Lahote. Was he the one you went out with tonight?"

"Yeah."

Her mom smoothed the covers with her hand.

"How is he and Marianne?"

"They broke up," Kourtney said slowly. Surprise appeared on her mother's face. Kourtney glanced at her and she could see the gears turning in her mom's head. A look of realization followed

"That's too bad, they were so good together," she commented. "Just like you and Alex were."

Kourtney fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother was fishing for information. Kourtney would have preferred she ask the question she really wanted to ask, but instead decided to play along with her mother's line of questioning.

"How's Marianne?" her mother continued. "I haven't heard about her in a while."

"She's fine, Mom," Kourtney said.

"Are you two fine?"

"To be honest, she and I haven't exactly been talking like we used to. The same goes for me and Alex," Kourtney added. Her mother nodded her head.

"How about you and Paul? Is there anything going on between you two?"

Kourtney was about to answer, but the booming voice coming from downstairs interrupted her.

"Cody's here," Kourtney exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and ran downstairs.

Cynthia looked after her daughter. She wasn't sure how she felt about her daughter seeing Paul Lahote. She knew that they were good friends, but after seeing them around the res together, she could tell their friendship was slowly moving towards being more than friends. Cynthia was jostled out of her thoughts when her husband called for her. She realized that he was standing at the doorway of Kourtney's room.

"Your son's here," he told her. She nodded and straightened up. She put a smile on her face and headed downstairs, Jerry following closely behind. Once they were visible to their eldest, he put his arm around her. It was time to put on a front for their son.

.-~*~-.

"Did you know your brother was bringing a girl home for the holidays?"

"Mom, she's his girlfriend, okay? Not just random girl he met at the airport and decided to invite back here to La Push," Kourtney told her mom.

It was only that morning over breakfast, that Cody revealed the news of his girlfriend flying in that afternoon to spend the holidays with them. Naturally, they were all quite surprised. The last girlfriend of his that they were introduced to was Rachel Black. Ever since then, Cody had a string of girlfriends that only seemed to last for a month or two; never anyone worth them meeting.

"Did you even know he had a girlfriend?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"I wonder how long they've been dating," her mom muttered. "I wonder how they met."

"Mom, I'm sure you'll find out all that when we meet her."

"What if he got her pregnant!" her mother exclaimed. "That's it isn't it? That's the reason she's bringing a girl that we have never even heard about until now back home for the holidays!"

Kourtney gave an amused laugh. Her mother was stressed out with the idea of having a stranger come into their house. Since hearing the news, she busied herself with cleaning the house to make sure it was presentable.

"Relax, Mom. I'm sure that's not the reason," Kourtney reassured her. Although, Kourtney knew that there was a chance that her mother was right, but she wanted to give her brother the benefit of the doubt. "Take a nap, Mom. The house looks fine. Just rest for now, you're too stressed out."

"I should get something for dinner. I'm working tonight so I won't be able to cook. I should just cook now!"

Kourtney groaned and went to her mom. She took the cookbook that her mom brought out and put it back.

"We are going out to dinner," Kourtney said. "Don't worry about anything. Go and nap!"

After more insisting, Mrs. Hunt finally took her daughter's advice and headed to her room to nap. Kourtney was lounging in the living room, watching TV when she heard the front door open.

"We're here," Cody called.

"Mom's sleeping and Dad's at the station," Kourtney called. She got up and walked to the hallway connecting to the entryway. She stopped and watched as her brother carried in a big bright pink suitcase.

"Come in," Cody said to someone behind him. Kourtney waited to see the special girl that her brother was brought home. A tall girl stepped into the house. She was only a few inches shorter than her brother's 6 foot frame. She wore a gray beanie over her head. Her brown hair was long and wavy.

Once they were inside, Cody shut the door behind them.

"Babe, come meet my sister," Cody said, grabbing the girl's hand. "This is Kourtney. Kourt this is Annabelle."

"Annabelle? Starting the alphabet over are we?" Cody sent her a glare. Annabelle's jade green eyes looked unsure of what to make of the comment.

"Nice to meet you, Annabelle," Kourtney said, walking forward to shake her hand. Annabelle took off her gloves before shaking her hand. Kourtney noticed the nicely manicured nails; definitely not a res type of girl. "Come in. Do you want something hot to drink to warm up?"

"Sure," Annabelle said as she followed Kourtney into the kitchen. Kourtney started to make three cups of hot cocoa as her brother put Annabelle's luggage in his room. Kourtney thought about the many sex talks she had with her mother and how she continuously elaborated the importance of abstinence. She wondered what made it okay for Cody and his girlfriend to sleep together on the same bed.

"How was your flight?" Kourtney asked, making small talk to get to know Annabelle.

"It was good. The view was amazing. So many trees," Annabelle told her.

Kourtney smiled.

"Yeah, lots and lots around here. So where did you and my brother meet?"

"We both interned at the same place," Annabelle told her.

"Are you originally from Miami?"

Annabelle shook her head.

"California actually. Los Angeles if you want specifics."

"How long have you two been together?"

"What is this? Twenty one questions?" Cody asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Just getting to know her," Kourtney told him.

"Why not get her to know you?" Cody asked. "Go ahead and ask her some questions babe."

Annabelle giggled at the two siblings.

"I don't know what to ask, so just tell me about yourself," she said. She knew how important his younger sister was to him, so Annabelle wanted to get along with her and get to know her.

"Not much to tell, really. Just a Quileute girl born and raised on the res. Just waiting until I graduate to finally be able to get out of here."

"Where do you want to go?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Wherever life takes me. So long as it is not here stuck on the res. Or even Washington," Kourtney told her.

"Well, I hope you get where you want to go!" Annabelle told her politely.

Kourtney smiled.

"Thanks."

"Alright, so who's hungry? Cause I am starving!" Cody said.

"I could eat," Annabelle said. The couple looked at Kourtney. "Want to come with?"

"Sure," Kourtney said. They all finished their hot beverage before donning their coats and headed out.

.-~*~.

"What's going on over there?" Annabelle asked. They were in the small parking lot of River's Edge and from where they stood, they were able to see the high school gym. Streams of different colored lights flashed out of the high windows. The muffled sound of music could be heard.

"It's the Winter Wonderland dance," Kourtney told her. A small part of her longed to be in the gym knowing that Paul was probably in there somewhere.

"Why didn't you go?" Annabelle asked, seeing the longing look Kourtney cast towards the gymnasium.

"Because the last time she went to a school dance, two guys fought over her and she sprained her wrist."

"Really? Who won?"

"I don't know. Who did win?" Cody asked.

"Okay, first of all they weren't fighting over me. So no one won, okay?"

"If you say so," Cody told her. Kourtney rolled her eyes. "You can still go if you want. Just sneak in. I'll provide a distraction. Better yet, we can crash the dance. What do you think, babe?"

Annabelle didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Kourtney as if asking for her opinion.

"I'm okay," Kourtney told them. "It's almost over anyway and I'm not exactly in Winter Wonderland attire."

"Suit yourself."

.-~*~-.

The first few days of Kourtney's winter break were busy spent being a third wheel to Cody and Annabelle's outings. After only taking one day to tour La Push and Forks, they spent the next two days heading to Port Angeles then Seattle. By the time they got back, it was already Tuesday night.

Kourtney was exhausted from their trip and collapsed on her bed. She was on the brink of sleep when she heard Cody and Annabelle in the room next door. Kourtney sighed with disgust and quickly made her way downstairs. She moved to the living room, hoping that the TV would be able to drown what was going on in her brother's room. Even when it did, Kourtney felt weird being in the house while her brother and his girlfriend were having sex. Kourtney ran to her room to grab her phone and car keys, then headed back down. Jumping in her car, she quickly turned the engine on. She sat in the driver's seat, waiting for the car to heat up. Looking at her cellphone, she saw that it was well past midnight. Her parents were working the night away, as always.

Once the car was warm enough, Kourtney pulled into the road. She had no destination in mind; she just wanted out of the house. Kourtney decided on driving all the way to Rialto Beach. It was a 20 minute drive, making it a round trip of 40 minutes. She hoped that it would be all the time the couple needed.

Kourtney drove down the dark road, keeping mindful of the speed limit. She hoped that her dad wasn't patrolling anywhere near her. She slowed her car as she approached a stop sign. She was about to step on the gas when she saw a figure walking towards her. The way the silhouette of the figure was very familiar to her. Kourtney felt herself smile. She put her foot back on the brake and opened her window.

"What are you doing driving around at this time of night?" Paul asked as he got closer to her car.

"What are you doing walking around at this time of night?" Kourtney countered.

"I asked first."

"Well, my parents are both working…again. And that left me alone with Cody and his girlfriend."

"Not a fan?"

"Oh, no, she's nice. She's awesome," Kourtney said. "It's the fact that they don't realize the wall separating our bedrooms are paper thin." Paul laughed. "It's not funny."

"It's pretty funny."

"No, hearing my brother's girlfriend call out his name is not funny. I am scarred for life, okay?" Paul only continued to laugh. "So are you gonna tell me what you're doing out so late?" Paul opened his mouth. "Wait, let me guess. You're doing something for Sam?"

Paul smiled.

"Are you gonna offer me a ride or what?" he asked instead.

"Only if you accompany me to Rialto Beach," Kourtney said. Paul nodded. She waited as Paul went around to the passenger's side. Once he was inside and buckled, she drove off towards his house.

"I haven't seen you in a while it feels," Paul said, placing a hand on top of Kourtney's knee. She felt butterflies in her stomach from his touch.

"It's only been a few days, Paul."

"You miss me."

Kourtney didn't answer, but only smiled.

"We've been busy showing Annabelle around. Went all the way up to Seattle today. I'm exhausted."

"Same here," Paul sighed. He just got off doing patrol by himself. Sam and Emily went up to Neah Bay to visit her family while Jared had a date night with Kim. Embry was supposed to be on patrol with Paul, but Paul let him go home. Out of the four shapeshifters, Embry was the only one who opted not to have his mom know. She had been getting suspicious of his whereabouts, so Paul ordered him to keep his mom from questioning.

"What'd you do today?"

"Just…stuff," he told her, not wanting to get into details. Fortunately, Kourtney let it slide and didn't pester him with the usual questions.

"Have you gone fishing yet?"

"Once. Didn't' get anything. We were out there for a few hours."

"Tell me again how fun winter fishing is," Kourtney said.

"I don't mind it."

"Of course you don't. Your body temperature is always so-"

"Hot?" Paul asked wriggling his eyebrows. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Typical Lahote," Kourtney said. Paul leaned back on the seat, his hand still on Kourtney's leg and closed his eyes. Within a minute, Kourtney heard him lightly snoring. Rather than waking him, Kourtney left him alone to rest. She spent the next twenty minutes, eyes focused on the dark road and ears listening to Paul's rhythmic breathing. It was somewhat peaceful. Having Paul next to her just made her feel so calm and safe.

Her car slowly came to a stop. She could barely hear the waves from inside the car. Not wanting to venture out into the cold night, Kourtney stayed at the driver's seat, her car still on to provide heat. She sighed and sat back. The sliver of the moon cast a bit of moonlight onto the ocean. She wished it was a full moon. She loved looking out onto the ocean when there was a full moon. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

She looked over at Paul, who was still fast asleep. He had reclined the seat back, one arm tucked behind his head. His face was turned towards the door, allowing a little bit of the moonlight to illuminate his face. She could see his eyelashes standing long, casting shadows down his cheek. He looked quite peaceful and not as intimidating like he usually did. Her eyes slowly wandered down to his chest, rising and falling. She took the time to admire his sculpted body. She tore her eyes away as her eyes reached his abs. She turned towards her side window, trying to push the thoughts of Paul and his body away from her head. She wondered why he always walked around without his shirt, especially during the cold weather. She wondered how and when his body changed. She knew Paul had a good body before from keeping fit from football, but it seemed his muscles were bigger and bulkier. Kourtney shook her head. Why was she still thinking about his body?

Kourtney looked back into the ocean. Paul shifted in his seat, drawing Kourtney's attention back to him. He switched to lying on his left said, both his hands forming a pillow under his head. Kourtney giggled at the sight of big, tall Paul Lahote looking like a sleeping child.

"What's so funny, Hunt?" Paul muttered. Kourtney stopped giggling.

"Were you seriously awake this whole time?" she asked. Her face slowly warmed up wondering if he caught her staring at his body.

"Half awake," he said. It was a trick he learned to master during patrols; sleeping with one eye and ear on alert. He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "Liked what you saw?"

The color all rushed to Kourtney's cheeks. She turned away, not knowing how respond.

"It's alright, Kourt," Paul continued. "Just admit that you think I'm hot. You couldn't help stare at my body."

Kourtney rolled her eyes. She looked back at Paul who gave her a smug smirk. Kourtney wanted nothing more to slap the smirk off, but she knew a better way to get back at him. She let her eyes roam down his body again before locking back with his eyes.

"Eh," she began. "I think Embry's is better."

Kourtney tried to keep straight face, but failed when she saw Paul's surprised then annoyed reaction. She let out a huge laugh, letting Paul know that she was just joking. Paul leaned over and poked her side, making her shriek.

"Stop!" Paul continued to tickle her. Kourtney tried her best to fend him off, but her seatbelt kept her from getting out of the care. Paul only let up when her cellphone rang. Kourtney smacked Paul's arm and playfully sent him a glare. She tried to catch her breath before answering. "Hello?"

" _Kourt?_ " came Cody's voice. " _Where the hell are you? Do you know what time it is? It's late! What the hell are you doing out so late?"_

"Uh, I just stepped out to drive around," Kourtney said. "To clear my head."

Paul let out a laugh, earning him another smack.

" _Who's that?_ "

"Just Paul," Kourtney told him.

" _Paul? Lahote?"_

"Yeah, I-"

" _Get home now!"_ Cody screamed into the phone. Kourtney looked at her phone in disbelief as the phone call ended.

"Shit, that didn't sound too good," Paul told her. Kourtney nodded.

"We should get back." Kourtney pulled out of the parking lot. Fifteen minutes later, she stopped her car in front of Paul's house.

"I know you're in a rush to get home," Paul began. "But, you think you're free this Friday?"

"Friday?"

"Yeah, for uh, our…date?" Paul reminded her.

"Oh yeah!" Kourtney cried. "Yeah, I'm free Friday. Friday's good!"

Paul smiled.

"I'll see you then?" Kourtney nodded. She watched as Paul got out of her car and walked up to his house. He gave a wave before disappearing in. She raced back home, still remembering the tone of her brother's voice. She wondered what got him so riled up. Her concern for her brother's sudden outburst distracted her from her disappointment over Paul not kissing her or even her hand again.

Kourtney parked her car and she saw the front door immediately open. Cody stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Get inside," he called out to her.

"Where else would I go?" Kourtney asked as she passed him to get into the house.

"Why the hell were you out with Paul Lahote so late?" he asked.

"Why are you yelling?" Kourtney asked.

"Answer my damn question! Don't tell me you snuck off to have sex with him!"

Kourtney's jaw dropped in surprised. Her brother's accusation was something she was not expecting to hear.

"Is that what you did?" Cody prodded when she didn't answer.

"No! Are you serious, Cody? I snuck out because I could hear you and your girlfriend having sex right next to my room!"

It was Cody's turn to be surprised and embarrassed.

"Why was Paul with you then?"

"I was driving to Rialto Beach and I saw him. So I asked him if he wanted to accompany me. He spent the whole drive there snoring in the front seat!"

Cody shook his head.

"What? Nothing happened!" Cody still didn't seem convinced. "Give me some credit, Cody. I'm not like you. I was with Alex for two years and I still didn't sleep with him. What makes you think I'd suddenly just sleep with Paul?"

"Because he's Paul!"

"In other words, it's because of the rumors about Paul that you're basing your judgment on?"

"What's going on?" Annabelle asked, appearing in the kitchen.

"Sorry, babe," Cody said. "Just talking."

Kourtney took that as a cue to leave.

"We're not done!" Cody told her, stopping her in her tracks.

"What else is there to talk about?"

"Why are you hanging with Paul?"

"He's my friend," Kourtney reminded him. "He's always been my friend."

"Yeah, isn't he also your best friend's boyfriend? Who is also best friends with the dumb ex of yours that cheated on you!"

"Okay, one, Paul and Marianne broke up months ago. And two, what the hell does Alex have to do with anything?"

"Birds of the same feather…whatever the hell that saying goes."

"They're no longer friends. Paul didn't agree with Alex's cheating. It's why he broke Alex's nose."

"See, he's a hothead and a jerk!"

"No he's not! At least, not anymore. Okay, maybe to some people he's still a jerk to, but he's not that bad anymore. He's been hanging out with Sam who's been a good influence on him."

"I don't care who Paul hangs out with! He could be hanging out with Old Quil for all I care, as long as he's not hanging with you!"

"I'm not going to stop hanging out with him or being friends with him because you don't care to get to know him like I do."

"He's bad news Kourt! If I remember correctly, not only is he a jerk with a bad temper, he's arrogant. Disrespectful."

"Stop, Cody! You really don't know what you're talking about! He's not any of those things! At least to me he's not."

Cody was ready to argue some more.

"Cody," Annabelle said softly. Cody looked at his girlfriend. She shook her head and he sighed. Kourtney took that chance to stomp out of the kitchen. Her stomping continued up the stairs and to her room. Cody anticipated the slamming of the door. Annabelle walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…that Paul is bad news," Cody told her.

"What about him is bad news? Your sister is convinced he's not and she seems like someone who has a good head on her shoulders. Maybe he has changed?"

Cody shook his head.

"When he was fifteen he got a girl pregnant."

"Rumor or fact?" Annabelle asked.

"Rumor," Cody grumbled. "But you heard what she said: he broke Alex's nose!"

"Yeah, the guy who cheated on her! Didn't you want to kick his ass too when you found out?" Cody nodded his head. "Besides, it seems as if Paul has some sort of soft spot for your sister."

Cody looked down at his girlfriend. He quickly shook his head.

"No, nope. Nuh uh. That's not sitting well with me. If you're saying what I think you're saying-"

"I think Paul genuinely likes your sister. If he's this big jerk to everything but your sister, I'm pretty sure he likes him. And if I'm not mistaken, with the way she continually defended Paul, your sister likes him too."

"That definitely is not okay!" Cody cried. He started to walk away, but Annabelle pulled him back.

"What's wrong with that? Tell me." Cody remained quiet. "You said he's a jerk. He's arrogant. He's probably some kind of big flirt, maybe a man-whore." Annabelle laughed, trying to get Cody to laugh with her. When he didn't, she continued, "Does that remind you of someone?"

Cody sighed. "Yes, yes, it does. He reminds me of…me."

Annabelle nodded her head. "I thought so."

"I know how I am, especially with girls and relationships," Cody told her. "If Paul is anything like me in those departments, I don't want him anywhere near Kourtney."

.-~*~-.

The following morning, Cody Hunt was in a better mood despite Kourtney avoiding him and ignoring his texts. Getting the cold shoulder from his younger sister wasn't going to change his mind about anything he told her the night before. Rather than dwelling on it, Cody chose to focus on spending time with his parents and making sure they got to know his new girlfriend. Even though he and Annabelle had only been dating for a few months, Cody felt as though he'd known her forever. He was without a doubt, head over heels in love with her. Having his parents get along with her was important to him.

They were just wrapping up their time in Forks when Cody's phone rang. He felt a little disappointed when he saw that it was his good friend Sam rather than Kourtney.

"Hey, Sam," Cody answered.

" _Cody! How're you?"_

"Good! How you been? I've been meaning to drop by."

" _And I've been meaning to invite you over to dinner! I know it's last minute, but Emily and I are having a few people over for dinner if you want to join."_

"That sounds good! We can do tonight?"

" _Great! We'll see you then!"_

Cody hung up and turned to his girlfriend with a smile.

"You get to meet Sam and his fiancé!"

"Okay," Annabelle said. "I can't wait to hear all about you during your high school years!"

Cody laughed.

"Good luck with that. Sam knows the bro code! He's not gonna talk!"

"Then I'll ask his fiancé!"

"Yeah, about that," Cody began. "I don't really know Emily. So she doesn't really know me."

"I thought that Sam and-"

"Leah. Sam and Leah dated in high school," Cody explained.

"And that's not his fiancé now?"

"No, his fiancé now is Emily…Leah's cousin."

Annabelle gasped.

"Yeah, so it's best not to mention high school at all."

Cody and Annabelle showed up at Emily's house a few hours later. After getting home from a day in Forks, Cody and Annabelle took a nap before getting ready. Kourtney was still not home and was still not answering any of Cody's calls or texts. He was thinking inviting her along to Emily's would soften her up, but she didn't even give him the chance to do that.

"Hi!" Emily greeted. Annabelle darted her eyes away. Cody had warned her about Emily's scarred face, but she still wasn't as prepared as she thought she was.

"You must be Annabelle?" Emily asked. Annabelle nodded. Emily brought her into a hug. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"You, too. Thank you for inviting us!"

Emily invited them in. Loud voices came from the living room.

"Who else is here?" Cody asked.

"Just the boys," Emily said. They all entered the living room.

"The boys?" Annabelle asked. She turned to Cody and whispered, "They have kids?"

Cody shrugged.

"Guys!" Emily called. "Cody and his girlfriend Annabelle are here."

The living room quieted down.

"That's Jared. That's Embry and over there is-"

"Paul," Cody muttered. Emily nodded her head, not catching the dislike in his tone.

"You're Paul?" Annabelle asked. Paul nodded his head. He wondered how she knew about him.

"Hey, Cody!" Sam greeted, coming down the stairs. The two friends exchanged greetings.

"This is my girlfriend, Annabelle." After shaking her hand, Sam motioned for them to follow him in the kitchen.

"What's with the boy scouts in there?" Cody asked. Sam and Emily laughed.

"Just a few teens I've been…"

"Mentoring," Emily finished for him.

"Like Paul?" Annabelle asked.

Sam nodded his head.

"You know him?"

"I've heard of him," she said, looking over at Cody.

"Kourtney?" Emily asked with a smile. Annabelle nodded. "Where is she by the way? I thought Paul said she was on her way."

"Kourtney's coming here?" Cody asked.

"Cody…"

"Yeah, she's always invited here," Emily told him.

"Excuse me," Cody said. Annabelle began to protest. "Stay here, babe. I'll be back."

Cody made his way back to the living room. He frowned when he saw that Paul was gone.

"Where's Paul?" Cody asked.

"Outside," Jared answered. Cody headed to the door and stepped out. Paul was standing only a few feet away from him.

"Hey," Cody called out. Paul turned around.

"Hey?" Paul said uncertainly. He stayed where he stood as Cody walked up to him.

"Listen, I'm only going to say this once to you. Whatever that you're doing to my sister, it's gonna stop, you understand?"

"What are you talking about?" Paul asked.

"I know what you're doing, Paul. I know what game you're trying to play."

"I'm not playing any games." Paul stood straighter.

"I want you to stop seeing my little sister."

The two guys were too focused on their conversation that they didn't notice the car pulling up.

"Cody!" Kourtney cried as she stepped out of Kim's car. Both guys turned to look at her.

"Should've known you'd be here," Cody said. "We're going home!"

"What?" Cody disappeared back into the house. His calls for Annabelle were heard. Kourtney stepped closer to Paul. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving!" Cody said as he appeared back outside.

"I'm not leaving. I just got here!"

"I told you to stop seeing him!" Cody cried as he grabbed Kourtney and moved her away from Paul.

"Cody!"

"Don't grab her like that!" Paul cried, reaching for Kourtney. Cody pushed Paul's hand away and shoved Paul.

"Stop it!"

"We are leaving! Get in the car!"

"Stop ordering her around!"

"What's going on here? Everything okay?" Sam asked. Cody looked up and saw that everyone had come out of the house.

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Cody told him. "Just keep his asshole away from my sister! Come on, Kourtney!"

Kourtney didn't protest. Tears of embarrassment rimmed her eyes. She avoided looking at Paul and let her brother lead her back to his car.

Cody got in the driver's seat and started the car. He waited for Annabelle to climb into the passenger's side. He didn't even wait for her to buckle her seat belt before peeling out.

"Paul! Stop! Stay here!" Sam commanded when he saw Paul take a step towards Cody's departing car. Paul's arms started to shake. Sam rubbed his left temple.

"I'll take care of this," Jared said, patting Sam on the back. "Come on, Lahote! Let's go for a run!"

.-~*~-.

The short ride back home was quiet. Cody was still reeling from his confrontation with Paul while Kourtney sat in the back, trying to control her crying. Annabelle looked straight ahead, appalled at Cody's behavior. Once Cody parked, Annabelle got out and only waited for Kourtney. She put her arm around Kourtney and led her up the walk way.

Cody sighed, knowing that he was going to catch hell from Annabelle later. His long strides caught him up to the two girls. As they approached the front door, he could hear his parents' raised voices.

"What the hell?" Cody said as he quickly unlocked the door. "Mom? Dad?"

He ran to the kitchen where his parents' where. He immediately saw his mother's tear-streaked face. He glanced at his dad whose own face was read. Both were panting.

"What's going on?"

Kourtney ignored the commotion in the kitchen and headed up the stairs. Annabelle, not wanting to be in the awkward situation in the kitchen, followed Kourtney up the stairs.

"Want to talk?" she asked Kourtney. The teen only shrugged. Annabelle followed her into her room. Kourtney climbed on to her bed and curled up under the covers. Annabelle stayed by the door. "Are you okay?"

No answer.

"I'm sorry for Cody. You know he's only being protective." Still nothing. "Paul's pretty good looking."

"You should see him with his shirt off," Kourtney said after a while. Annabelle laughed and made her way to sit on the foot of the bed. Kourtney sat up, wiping the remaining tears off her cheeks. "I'm so embarrassed!"

"I know, I would be too. Your brother was out of line, but like I said-"

"He's being protective, or rather, overprotective." Kourtney sighed. "You know, our first date is this Friday."

"Really? First date?"

"Yeah, it's a long story… I know he's had feelings for me for a while now and it's only recently that I've started to return those feelings."

"Well, you should still go," Annabelle urged.

"Really?" Annabelle nodded.

"All my friends tried to stop me from dating your brother. I wouldn't be here with him now if I listened to them."

"You're right," Kourtney said with a smile. "Thanks, Annabelle."

Kourtney leaned in and gave her a hug.

"Babe can you give us a second?" Cody said as he entered Kourtney's room. Annabelle gave him a look.

"It's not about that asshole." Kourtney rolled her eyes. Annabelle gave her hand a squeeze and started to exit. Cody waited until Annabelle was out the room before closing the door behind him. Kourtney lied back down in her bed. Cody took Annabelle's place at the foot of the bed. "How long has mom and dad been like this?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"A few months now? I don't know. It started off as little arguments. After that cruise they took…it just got worse."

"Damn," Cody said. "I had a feeling something was going on, but I never knew it was this bad."

"You get used to it," Kourtney told him. Cody was about to reply. "I'm tired."

Cody sighed then got up.

"Good night then."

Once he was out of the room, Kourtney reached for her cellphone. She opened up the menu to compose a new text message.

 _ **I'm sorry about Cody. I can't wait for Friday.**_

Kourtney changed into some pajamas and got ready for bed. She glanced at her cellphone. No reply from Paul. She tried to sleep, but she couldn't put the events of the day away. She continually checked her phone for anything from Paul, but she was always left disappointed.

After a restless night of sleep, Kourtney finally opened her eyes. The smell of coffee and breakfast being cooked filled her nose. She was still sleepy, but she knew her dad would come up to wake her up if she didn't get up herself. She grabbed for her phone the second she noticed the green blinking light. It was a text message from Paul. Kourtney let out a sigh of relief; she thought Cody's stunt would have pushed Paul away. Kourtney opened the message.

 _ **P: Don't worry about it. But I'm sorry cause I have to cancel for Friday. Maybe we can make plans some other time.**_

Kourtney felt her heart stop. Paul just cancelled their date. Their _first_ date. Kourtney knew Cody was to blame. She wanted nothing more than to confront him, but she knew it wouldn't change anything. Instead, she decided to see Paul to talk to him.

She quickly showered and changed. When she got to the kitchen, she saw that everyone was already up.

"We're heading over to Forks today," Cody told her. "Wanna come? You don't have plans right?"

Kourtney knew he was trying to keep her from making plans with Paul.

"Sure," she said. She decided it was best to play along.

Breakfast was an awkward silence. Her dad drank his coffee while reading the newspaper. Her mom focused on eating her bowl of oatmeal. From time to time she would glance down at her lap where her cellphone was. Cody and Annabelle sat at the kitchen island, sitting close so that they were whispering to one another. Kourtney quickly finished her breakfast.

She made her way to the living room to watch TV. Kourtney really wanted to go out to see Paul and to talk to him in person. She made a plan to stop by his house. In the off chance that he wasn't home, she knew Emily would be the next best place to look for Paul. If she had no luck there, then she knew Embry would help her. Now, all she had to do was wait until Cody was distracted enough not to be watching her every move.

Kourtney watched two episodes of whatever show was on before Cody excused himself. She listened has he ascended the stairs. Living in the same house for her entire life, Kourtney was used to the sounds of it. She knew how Cody's bedroom door sounded like when it closed. She also knew the hallway bathroom was being used. After hearing the pipes rumble, Kourtney was certain that Cody was in the shower. It was time.

She stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit," she announced.

"Where are you going?" her mom asked just as her dad said, "Okay, honey. See you later."

Her mom gave her dad an annoyed look.

"I'm just going to meet up with Kim, maybe even go to Emily's," she told them.

"You're not coming with us?" Annabelle asked.

"I'll be back. I'm just…I'll be quick."

Kourtney hurried out before Annabelle could ask more questions or before Cody jumped out of the shower. She jogged to her car. Not even bothering to wait for her car to warm up, she pulled onto the road and headed to Paul's.

Nervousness set in when she pulled in front of Paul's house. She wondered if she was right in assuming that Cody was the reason Paul cancelled on her. She wondered if he ended up changing his mind about her. She even wondered if Cody was right about Paul. Kourtney dismissed the negative thoughts and urged herself to just knock on the door.

As soon as she knocked, she could hear the loud thumping of footsteps.

"Kourt? What are you doing here?" Paul asked when he opened the door.

"Hi. Um, I just wanted to apologize for my idiotic brother."

Paul nodded.

"Yeah, I know. It's alright," he said. He hesitated. "Did you…Did you get my text by any chance?"

"I did," Kourtney said. She looked down at the ground. "What's going on? Is it because of Cody? Did I do something?"

"No!" Paul cried. "You didn't do anything!"

Kourtney's eyes showed that she doubted him. He sighed then stepped out of his house. He walked over to the porch rail and leaned against it. Kourtney did the same beside him.

"I just…" Paul didn't know what to say. He couldn't come out and tell her that Sam was actually the one who suggested he cancel the date. Paul didn't care what Cody thought about him or that he wanted him to stay away from Kourtney. All he cared about was what Kourtney thought and what she wanted. "Look, Kourt, I don't want you and your brother fighting-"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Who cares what Cody says? He never liked any of the guys that I like, so…"

Paul's head snapped up to look at Kourtney.

"What?" he asked, not sure he heard right. "Did you just say…?"

"What?" Kourtney asked.

"You said he never liked any of the guys that you…like?"

Yeah," Kourtney said slowly.

"And, just to clarify, I'm the guy that he doesn't like because you like me?"

Kourtney laughed.

"Yeah," she said. "That's news to you? I agreed to go on a date with you."

"Yeah, you also agreed to go out on a date with Embry."

Kourtney laughed again.

"That's true."

Paul took hold of her hand and pulled her towards him. Kourtney rested entwined her fingers behind his neck as Paul slid his hands on her waist.

"So, just to be sure, can I hear you say that you actually and finally have some sort of feelings for me?" Paul asked.

Kourtney giggled.

"Okay, Paul Lahote. I have some sort of feelings for you."

Paul broke out into a big smile.

"Now, admit that you think I'm hot and that you were checking out my half naked body the other night."

Kourtney smacked Paul on the arm. Paul tightened his arms around her and embraced her.

"Are we still on Friday then?" Kourtney asked.

"If that's what you want," Paul told her.

"That's what I want."

Paul nodded and started to lean in.

"Kourtney!"

"Damn it!" Paul muttered. He turned around to see Cody walking up to his house.

"Cody, what are you doing here?" Kourtney asked, letting go of Paul. She made her way to the front of the porch.

"I told you to stay away from her!" Cody said, his eyes trained on Paul.

"I came to him."

"I'll deal with you later. Right now, I'm dealing with Lahote!"

Paul jumped over the porch railing.

"What the hell is your problem?" Paul asked, advancing towards Cody. Despite being a few inches shorter than Paul and lacking the same muscle mass, Cody didn't seem fazed by Paul.

"Simple, I don't want my sister seeing your, dating you, or even being anywhere near you!"

"Cody!" a voice boomed. Kourtney saw Sam Uley, dressed in nothing but a pair of cut-off jeans, heading towards them from the forest.

"Where'd the hell did you come from, Sam?"

"You got a second to talk?" Sam asked. Cody looked from Paul and Kourtney. "They'll be fine. Let me just talk to you real quick."

"I'm watching you," Cody told Paul as he backed up to where Sam was. He kept his eyes on the two, making sure they didn't get too close. Paul made eye contact with Sam who gave him a look. Paul stayed where he was even though he wanted to get near Kourtney.

"Look, I understand that you have some sort of dislike for Paul. You've seen how he acts, you've heard the rumors, I get it. But, he's changed." Cody scoffed. He opened his mouth to argue. "Wait, listen! Paul has changed, alright? Trust me. Ever since the beginning of the school year, I've been watching over Paul. As Emily put it, I've been mentoring him and the other two guys. So trust me when I saw that Paul has changed…for the better. As for Kourtney…I've been watching over her, too. She's in good hands with him. He would never hurt or disrespect your sister."

Cody took a second to look at Sam. His expression was serious. Out of them two, he knew Sam was the more responsible and mature one. He had to be ever since his dad walked out on him and his family. Sam was always the one who was more rational and thought things through. Cody sighed.

"You can keep saying all these things until you're blue in the face, Sam," Cody told him. "It's not that I don't trust your judgment or anything, but I need to see it to believe it."

"I understand that," Sam said. He looked at Paul and Kourtney. Even though he ordered Paul to stay where he was, Kourtney had closed the distance between them and was now standing next to him. "Regardless Cody, they're gonna keep seeing each other. You can try and keep them apart, but the second you're on that plane back to Maimi…"

"I know," Cody said, realizing that Sam was right. He glanced over at his sister who stood close to Paul. He could tell from Paul's stance and the fact that he had his hands in his pockets, he was trying not to reach out to Kourtney. Cody ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, alright. If you say he's good, then I'll ease up."

Sam nodded.

"Thanks, man," he said. He turned to look at the two teens. "Paul, let me talk to you now. I'll see you around Cody! We need to get together again before you leave."

"I know. I'll see about coming by later on today. I feel bad especially after all the work that Emily put in for dinner."

"She'll like that. She always has food at the ready," Sam laughed. He shook his friend's hand before walking to Paul. He gave Kourtney a small smile. "You should probably head on home, Kourt. I need a word with Paul."

Kourtney nodded.

"Thanks, Sam." She turned to Paul. "Talk to you later?" Paul nodded. She waved and headed towards her car. Sam waited until Cody and Kourtney's cars were way down the road.

"Paul," Sam began, his voice taking a tone of authority. Paul reluctantly looked at his alpha. "Don't mess things up with Kourtney."

"You know I won't. I-" Sam held up his hand and Paul shut up.

"Obviously your friendship is progressing onto the romantic level. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but treat her right. Don't hurt her. Don't do anything stupid. Don't move too fast. And, most importantly, be honest with her."

Paul nodded his head.

"That means-"

"I need to tell her," Paul muttered.

"She'll accept you no matter what."

"And what if she doesn't? What if she thinks I'm just some kind of freak and just-"

"Pushes you away? If it happens, it happens. But I guarantee you that it'll be short lived and you'll both come back to each other. But, cross that bridge when you get there, _if_ you get there. You need to tell her first."

.-~*~-.

Friday finally came around and Paul felt nervous as he approached Kourtney's house. It was their first official date and he wanted everything to go well. Once again, he was dressed in proper date attire. This time he opted for a dark blue long sleeve under his black jacket. He wore one of his nicer pair of jeans and black boots.

He got to the door and door belled. Immediately, Kourtney opened the door. She, too, was dressed nicely, wearing a purple blouse, with one side hanging off the shoulder, paired with a pair of black jeans. A pair of black wedge boots complete the outfit.

"Hey, beautiful," Paul greeted with a smile. Kourtney smiled back. "You ready?"

"Uh, yeah, I am," Kourtney said. "But, uh, there's been a last minute change of plans."

"What change?" Paul asked. The door opened wider, revealing Cody.

"What's up, Lahote? You clean up well." Paul looked from Kourtney to Cody. He noticed Annabelle walking down the hallway, dressed up with her purse in hand. He looked at Kourtney again.

"It was either they join us or he would have spent the rest of the night stalking us," Kourtney explained, shooting her brother a glare.

"Hope you don't mind, buddy," Cody said, patting Paul on the shoulder as he stepped out. He took Annabelle's hand in his. The green-eyed brunette shot him an apologetic smile. "I'll drive. That truck of yours won't fit all of us."

Kourtney rolled her eyes. She closed the door behind her.

"Sorry," Kourtney said.

"It's alright," Paul told her. He took her hand in his and the two walked down towards Kourtney's car.

"Paul, why don't you sit up front?" Cody called, as he opened one of the back seat doors for Annabelle. "We can chat."

"This is going to be a long night," Paul muttered. Kourtney nodded in agreement. Not even five minutes into the start of the date and all his plans were already out the window. Paul already accepted that tonight would not be the night where he would be telling Kourtney about being a shapeshifter. It definitely was not be night when he would finally kiss Kourtney again.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney buried her head under her pillow. It was Christmas morning and she could hear her parents' argument carrying on all the way from her room. After Cody found out about their parents' continuous arguing, it seemed as if their parents stopped trying to act like things were still okay between them.

A soft knock came from her door.

"Come in," she called, expecting it to be Annabelle. It usually was whenever Kourtney retreated to her bedroom due to her parents fighting.

"Hey, Kourt," Cody said. Kourtney sat up as her brother entered the room. He closed the door behind him. "Got a sec?"

"What's up?"

"Well," Cody said making his way over to her bed. "I talked to Mom and Dad. And…I suggested that maybe what they needed is some time apart."

"What?" Kourtney asked. "So you suggested that they separate?"

"Not an official separation. Maybe they just need some space from one another. They need time apart to appreciate one another. With that being said, Dad is going to take a couple weeks off of work and he's gonna stay with me down in Miami."

"Why Dad? Why don't you take Mom?"

"Because Mom can't afford to take time away from her work."

"Maybe she should. Maybe that's the reason why they're fighting in the first place."

"Kourtney, don't say shit if you don't know what's really going on," Cody told her.

"Do you know what's going on?"

Cody's mouth twitched, but he didn't say a word. Kourtney took that to mean that he did, but he didn't want to say.

"The important thing is that Dad is gonna be gone for the next couple of weeks. So it's just you and Mom, okay? Maybe this can fix whatever it is that's going on between you and Mom. She said you and her haven't been talking like you used to."

Kourtney remained silent.

"And maybe when Dad gets back, everything will go back to normal. Things between them will be better. And then you can't stop with this phase that you're going through."

"What phase?" Kourtney asked.

"This phase of you wanting to date the worst guy on the res for you."

"Get the hell out of my room, Cody," Kourtney told him. After their double date on Friday, Kourtney thought that Cody would be more approving of Paul. Apparently she was wrong. "Get out!"

Cody obeyed his sister. Upon opening the door, he came face to face with their dad.

"What are you doing to your sister?" Jerry asked his son.

"Nothing. I was just telling her about our Miami plans." Jerry looked at his daughter. He gestured for his son to leave. Jerry walked over to Kourtney and sat at the foot of the bed.

"You're leaving me. With Mom."

"It's just for two weeks, sweetie. It will be good for everyone."

Kourtney didn't want her dad to go, but she knew he would regardless. She also knew that he was right. Maybe time apart from one another would help her parents.

"How about first thing tomorrow, you and I head over to Forks and get some of those blueberry pancakes from the diner? A little father-daughter time."

Kourtney smiled. She leaned over to hug her dad.

"I'm going to miss you."

* * *

 **AN:** I feel like I haven't updated in AGES! Long chapters take a lot longer to type up, I guess! I hope you enjoyed this one! I felt as though this was rushed due to me not updating as quickly as I usually do. Fear not, the next chapter will be better! I will take my time on it, after all it will be an important chapter. ;) Christmas is done and a New Year awaits. I wonder what, or who, the New Year will bring. ;)


	26. Chapter 26

Kourtney sat down at the nicely decorated dining table. Her mom sat across from her.

"Everything smells good, Mom!" Kourtney exclaimed. "You haven't cooked like this in a while."

"Yeah, well…things have been… They just haven't been the same," Mrs. Hunt simply said. "But, now, it's just us two and I wanted to do something special! Speaking of which!"

Kourtney waited as her mom disappeared into the kitchen. She came back holding two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne.

"Just for tonight," she told Kourtney. "Don't tell your father!"

Kourtney laughed. Even though she swore off alcohol again, a glass of champagne with her mother on New Year's Eve was an exception. Her mom poured champagne into the glasses and handed on to Kourtney. They toasted and took a sip.

"Let's eat!" her mother cried. Kourtney smiled as she reached for the baked salmon. Ever since her dad left for Miami with her brother, Kourtney noticed the change in her mother. She was no longer irritable or easily annoyed. In fact, it was the first time Kourtney had seen her happy in months. She made a note to give Cody credit. He was right; her parents did need some time apart.

The last few days, Kourtney's mom prepared home cooked meals like before. The house seemed a lot brighter and the environment a lot happier. It boosted Kourtney's already good mood. She no longer dreaded coming home to an empty and unhappy house. Rather, she looked forward to seeing her mom and spending time with her. Just the other day they had a movie night and had mani's and pedi's done.

While her life at home was improving, her love life seemed to be getting better too. Once Cody and his overprotectiveness was back on the plane home to Miami, Kourtney and Paul saw each other every single day. Life was definitely going well for Kourtney.

"What are your plans for tonight?" Cynthia asked her daughter.

"Nothing. I thought we'd just stay in and watch all the New Year's specials on TV."

"I've got work honey."

"Even on New Years eve? You worked Christmas, too! Isn't someone else supposed to cover the next holiday?" Kourtney asked, feeling disappointed.

"I'm sorry. Anna asked me to cover for her; she really wanted to go to Seattle and see her mother who's been sick." Cynthia saw Kourtney's face fall with disappointment. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Aren't your friends doing anything tonight?"

"I don't know. I think they're all with their families."

Cynthia gave Kourtney an apologetic smile.

"It's okay, Mom," Kourtney assured her.

"We'll do something tomorrow, okay?"

After eating, the ladies of the Hunt household cleared the table and washed all of the dirtied dishes.

"I'm going to get ready now."

Kourtney nodded. She made her way to the living room and sat on the couch. She turned on the TV and switched to the channel showing the New Year's Eve special. Half an hour into it, Kourtney's mom entered the living room to say bye. Even after her mom left, Kourtney remained on the couch, watching TV. Her eyes were getting heavy. She was on the brink of falling asleep when her phone chimed. Kourtney reached for it and saw a text message from Paul. Instantly, she smiled.

 **P: Watching the fireworks?**

Kourtney looked at the time and saw that it was a quarter until midnight

 **K: Now I will. I almost fell asleep.**

 **P: Haha. Mind if I join you? My dad's already KO'd.**

 **K: No I don't mind. My mom's working.**

 **P: Be there in a few.**

Kourtney smiled even wider. She hurried up the stairs to change. She was changing into the third outfit when she heard knocking. Kourtney looked at herself in the mirror and deemed herself presentable. She made her way downstairs and opened the front door just as Paul was about to knock again.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, yourself," Paul said. He took a good look at her and smiled. "You didn't have to change for me. You look beautiful no matter what."

Kourtney was left with nothing to say. Instead, she gave him a smile and stepped outside with him. Paul followed her and they both sat on the porch steps. The sound of people whooping and cheering was heard. It was a sign that midnight was approaching and everyone was also heading outside to watch the fireworks display. They could hear the radio blasting from one of the neighbors. The radio host was getting ready to provide the music for the display. Soon enough, the first firework lit the sky. 'Oohs' and 'ahs' were heard from the neighbors. After a few minutes, the radio host came back on the radio and informed the listeners that the count down was about to begin. Paul stood up and offered his hand to Kourtney.

"You gotta make sure to jump, shorty," he told her. Kourtney rolled her eyes and took his hand. He pulled her up. She stood on the top step as Paul was on the first step. Even with the boost, Kourtney was still a couple of inches shorter than Paul. Kourtney watched as the number ten illuminated the sky. When the countdown got to the number 5, she could hear everyone else in the neighborhood counting down. As the number 1 fizzled out in the sky, cheers of "Happy New Years!" rang out down her neighborhood.

Kourtney laughed as Paul yelled at the top of his lungs. A few kids ran past her house, throwing firecrackers on the ground as they laughed.

"Happy New Year, Kourtney!"

"Happy New Year, Quil!" Kourtney cried back.

"Happy New Year, Quil!" Paul mimicked.

"Uh, you, too, Paul," they heard Quil yell back. Kourtney and Paul laughed. Paul turned around and faced Kourtney.

"You know, they say the person you spend New Year's eve with is the one you'll spend the rest of the year with," Paul told her.

"Really? You mean I'm stuck with you for the rest of the year?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly that it means."

"Good thing I don't mind that," Kourtney said with a smile. She intertwined her fingers behind Paul's neck. Paul smiled and brought her closer to him.

Paul leaned in and Kourtney closed her eyes as his lips touched hers.

It was as if the world stopped. The sounds of the neighborhood celebrating slowly faded away. She could feel Paul's warm touch on her and his soft lips on hers. Unlike their first kiss, Kourtney was able to enjoy this kiss.

"Finally," Paul said when their lips separated from one another.

"Finally," Kourtney agreed.

"Happy New Year you two!" Embry said, making his way up the path. Paul was too happy to be annoyed with Embry's intrusion

"Happy New Year, Embry," Kourtney said.

"Don't shoot the messenger," Embry began. "But Paul, Sam needs you."

Paul groaned. He turned to Kourtney.

"Sorry," he told her.

"It's alright. I'm gonna go in and get some sleep."

Paul turned to look at Embry.

"What?" He looked from Paul to Kourtney. Paul gave him a look. "Oh! You want me to leave? Right, you guys probably want your privacy and-"

"Leave!" Paul ordered. Without another word, Embry turned around and ran away. Kourtney giggled.

"He's very obedient to you."

"Yeah, he has no choice, sometimes," Paul said with a smile. "I should go. You busy tomorrow?"

Kourtney nodded.

"My mom wants to do something to make up for working tonight and leaving me all alone."

"Okay. Just text me?"

"Of course." Paul pulled her close again and leaned in for another kiss. He could feel her smile against his lips.

"Good night."

"Night."

.-~*~-.

Paul was bombarded with New Year greetings the second he stepped inside Emily's house. A few of Emily's family members had come down to La Push.

"Paul," Sam said. He nodded his head towards the kitchen. Paul made his way to the kitchen. Sam looked around to make sure there were no stray family members hanging around.

"What's up?" Paul asked.

"You went to see Kourtney?"

"Yeah," Paul replied.

"I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but you need to tell her Paul. Soon!"

"I know. I know. Can I just…wait it out? I don't want to scare her away…"

"By the end of this month, Paul. Otherwise I'll be the one to tell her," Sam said.

.-~*~-.

Paul placed his hands on his hips as he looked at the two shirts on his bed. He was due to meet with Kourtney for lunch before heading over to Emily's to hang out with the gang until dinner time. After their kiss on New Year's, Paul and Kourtney's relationship became exclusively. It wasn't expressed in words, but by their actions and body language between one another. Of course, it was Embry who pointed it out their change in status.

Paul sighed, still not knowing which shirt to go with. They were going to River's Edge again, and it was the first time they were going out as an official couple. Knowing that Alicia and all the other staff would be there, he wanted to look nice.

A knock on the door took Paul's attention away from his outfit dilemma. He was slightly annoyed with the interruption seeing that he didn't want to be late in picking up Kourtney for their lunch date. He opened the door with a huff, ready to give the person hell for interrupting his time for getting ready. Instead, Paul was speechless. He blinked a few times to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. Sure enough, the pretty girl that stood before him was still there. She held a surprised expression that mirrored Paul's.

"Marianne?" he finally said.

Paul took in her face, her body, all of her. Her face looked the same, except for the new piercing above the left side of her upper lip. Her brown eyes were lined with eye liner and her eyelashes were full and long. Her hair was now a dark brown with blonde ends and it was cut just above her shoulders.

"Paul," she said softly.

"What are you doing here? What happened to New York?"

She smiled, revealing her straight and pearly white teeth.

"I was only going to be there for six months, remember?"

Paul nodded, but he didn't remember. His head was swimming; he felt as if he had been punched by surprise.

"You're back then? For good?" Marianne nodded, her earrings gently moving. "I'm finishing off my senior year here at La Push."

Paul nodded again.

"Uh, well, I just wanted to drop by to say hi," she told him.

"Hi," Paul replied.

"Hi," she giggled. "It was really nice seeing you again Paul."

"Yeah, you too."

The two stood awkwardly.

"Okay, well, I'll see you in school," Marianne said. She gave him a wave and another smile before turning.

Paul watched as she made her way down to what he presumed to be her new car, a Range Rover. It was a while before Paul realized that he was still standing at the doorway. He shook his head and went back inside. Marianne was back. His ex-girlfriend was back.

He immediately thought about Kourtney. He checked the clock. He was cutting it close. He ran back to his room and just threw on the first shirt he could grab. Checking himself one last time, he ran out the front door and to his car. Paul's truck sped down the road, slicing the drive time to Kourtney's in half. As he pulled up, he saw that she was already out on the porch.

Paul got out to meet her.

"Sorry, babe," he told her. "I lost track of the time."

"You're like one minute late. It's fine!" Kourtney said. Paul walked her to his truck and opened the door for her. Once he got on his side, he gave her a kiss. She smiled and reached for his hand. Paul drove to the restaurant. His mind kept thinking about his unexpected visitor. It was obvious that Kourtney didn't know that Marianne was back.

They got to the restaurant and, just like Paul predicted, Alicia and the other staff all gushed over how happy that they finally got together. Matt finally got the others to get back to work and went on to show the couple to their table. As they took their seats, Paul heard the chiming of his cellphone. He looked down and saw a text from Marianne.

 **M: Hey.**

Paul slid his phone back in his pocket. Matt gave them their menus.

"Thanks," Kourtney said.

Paul's phone beeped a few more times. Paul took out his phone ready to silence it. Another message popped up and Paul saw that it was from Marianne. All six messages were from Marianne.

"What are you getting today?" Kourtney asked.

She scanned the menu even if she already memorized all the items on it. A series of beeps tore her away from the menu. She looked up at Paul who was concentrated on his phone.

"Are you guys ready?" Matt asked.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I'll just have my usual."

Matt didn't bother to scribble Kourtney's order onto his pad. He turned to Paul, who was still preoccupied with his phone. Paul was unaware that all eyes were on him. He was too dumbfounded after reading Marianne's texts.

 **M: Hey, Paul.**

 **M: I went to see you ready to give you hell for what you did.**

 **M: But I changed my mind after seeing you again.**

 **M: Seeing you again just made me realize that I still love you.**

 **M: I hope we can work things out. We were so good together.**

 **M: Call me so we can talk.**

"Baby," Kourtney said, nudging his leg under the table. Paul tore his eyes from his phone.

"What are you ordering?"

"Uh, the usual," Paul said, handing Matt the menu.

"I don't know why I even bother giving you menus." Kourtney laughed. Matt went on his way to put in their orders. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Paul cried. "Everything is just fine."

A series of beeps was heard again.

"Is that your phone again?"

"Uh, yeah," Paul said.

He felt for it and pushed the button to stop the ringing.

"You're not going to answer it?" Kourtney asked.

"It was no one important."

This time a loud beep sounded. Paul cursed to himself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's just Embry. Just bugging us on purpose."

Kourtney nodded. Paul reached across the table for Kourtney's hand.

"How was your day?" he asked her. Paul listened attentively as Kourtney recounted her day with Christy and Kim. Holding her hand and listening to her talk was enough to take Paul's mind off of Marianne and her texts. With his phone on silent, the rest of their lunch date went on without any interruptions.

.-~*~-.

"She's back?" Emily cried. "How do you know?"

"I saw her," Jared said. He just switched off patrol duties with Sam. While on patrol he was on his way to mess with Paul, knowing that he had plans with Kourtney. However, when he approached Paul's house, he saw a girl at the door. He stayed hidden behind the trees and heard the entire conversation between Paul and Marianne. Jared assumed Paul was just as surprised since he was too distracted to even realize Jared was near.

"Are you sure it was her?" Emily asked.

"Oh yeah, when you see her, you'll know it was her."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Jared said quickly. "Just that she looks like someone who's been living in New York the past six months!"

"Really?" Embry asked, suddenly getting interested. They all gave him a look. He turned back to his video game.

"Does Paul know?" Emily asked. "Better yet, does Kourtney know?"

Jared was prevented from answering when he heard the front door open. Paul and Kourtney's voices carried from the front door to the living room.

"Hey, you two," Emily greeted. "How was lunch?"

"It was good," Kourtney said as she took a seat on the couch, away from Embry and his video game. Paul sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"Kim's not here?" Kourtney asked.

"She'll be by later," Jared told her. He looked at Paul, trying to get his attention. Paul was zoned in on Embry's video game to realize it.

"Damn it! I hate this shit!" Embry cried, throwing the controller to the ground.

"Embry!" Emily yelled.

"Sorry," Embry said. "I've been playing this all day and I can't get past this stupid stage! Paul help me out!"

Paul took the controller and immediately got absorbed in the game.

"That's how you do it!" Paul cried triumphantly as he chucked the controller back at Paul.

"Why couldn't you have come here earlier?" Embry grumbled. "Could've beat this shit earlier!"

"I need to start a swear jar," Emily muttered.

"Is that why you kept bugging Paul?" Kourtney asked. Paul stiffened beside her. It was then that Paul looked at Jared. Jared mouthed 'Marianne?' Paul realized that Jared probably knew and nodded.

"What?" Embry asked.

"Is that why you kept texting Paul while we were trying to have a nice lunch together?"

"I don't know what you're-"

"It was me!" Jared cried. "That was me! I, uh, took Embry's phone while he was distracted and wanted to bug you two lovebirds." Jared could feel Kim's eyes on him.

"Well, thanks for that," Kourtney said. "I've never seen Paul more irritated at his phone."

Paul laughed.

"Yeah, uh, sorry. I just wanted to mess with him," Jared told her. Emily looked at the two boys. Even after knowing them for only a few months, she knew something was up.

"Paul, can you help me with something in the kitchen?" Emily asked. Paul nodded and got up from his spot. He entered the kitchen and was greeted with a smack on the arm.

"What was that for?" Paul cried.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing!"

"I saw that look you and Jared exchanged. Something is going on!" Emily insisted in a low voice.

"No!"

"Paul do not lie to me! Unless you want me to get Sam involved! He'll alpha command you-"

Paul sighed. He did not want Sam involved at all. It was bad enough Sam was hounding him to tell Kourtney.

"I know that Marianne is back," Emily shared, hoping it would get Paul to open up.

"You do?" he asked in surprise.

"And from your reaction, you knew too! Does Kourtney know?"

Paul shook his head.

"Why not? You didn't tell her?"

Paul looked back to make sure Kourtney didn't hear. She was busy conversing with Kim.

"Marianne stopped by today," Paul said in a low voice. Emily's eyes widened. "She said she just wanted to stop by and say hi. Then, while I was with Kourtney, Marianne kept texting me. She wants to get back together."

"And you of course you said no, right?"

"I didn't reply."

"What? Paul!" Emily cried.

"I was with Kourtney!"

Emily shook her head.

"Did you at least tell Kourtney?" Paul didn't answer. "You are unbelievable! You need to tell her! She's your girlfriend now! Tell Marianne that and tell Kourtney about Marianne!"

"I don't want Kourtney to get upset!"

"Oh, Paul."

"Emily, I'm just scared that Marianne will ruin everything between me and Kourtney. We're finally together! I don't want to lose her!"

"If you lose her, it won't be because of Marianne," Emily told him. Paul sighed in defeat.

"I'll tell her when I drop her off at home. I don't want to ruin dinner," he said.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney waited until Paul parked his truck. He made a move to get out, but Kourtney placed a hand on his arm. He turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You seem preoccupied."

Paul knew it was his in to tell her about Marianne. He wiped his hands on his jeans.

"I am, actually," he told her. "I have something to tell you."

Kourtney waited. Paul took a breath.

"Marianne is back."

"What?" Kourtney said. "She's back? Here? In La Push?"

"Apparently her six months are up in New York."

"Who told you that?"

"She did."

"You two saw each other? When?"

"Earlier," Paul admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck. "She stopped by…the house."

"Oh," Kourtney said. She slid away from Paul. "I'm guessing this was before we met up for lunch."

Paul nodded. He looked over at Kourtney, who was now facing forward. He saw how her body was turned away from him and her arms were crossed.

"Babe-"

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I didn't think it mattered," Paul told her honestly.

"Your ex-girlfriend being back on the res and dropping by to see you at your house doesn't matter?"

"She's an ex for a reason."

Paul was glad he didn't tell Kourtney earlier. He wouldn't have liked what was happening now to happen in front of their friends.

"Then why does she have you so preoccupied?"

"She doesn't! Well, it's more like the fact that she's back!" Paul slid over to her. "Kourt, I was worried that her being back would make you change your mind about us."

"Why would I?" Kourtney asked.

"Because I feel like she's the whole reason why you kept pushing me away before."

Kourtney sighed. Paul was right. Marianne was the reason why Kourtney tried to distance herself from Paul, especially when she started developing feelings for him.

"That's not going to happen now," Kourtney told him. She kissed him and smiled. Paul pulled her back to him so he could kiss her again. Suddenly a loud thump startled the two, making them pull apart. A football bounced on the hood of Paul's truck before rolling to the ground.

"What the hell?" Paul cried. He hopped out of his truck.

"Sorry!"

Kourtney saw Jacob walking from Quil's house towards Paul's truck. Quil hung back a few steps behind Jacob.

"Oh no," Kourtney muttered.

"What the hell are you doing, Black?" Paul shouted.

"Can I have my football back?"

"Sure," Paul said. He gripped the football and lined up his fingers on the laces.

"Paul!" Kourtney cried, realizing what Paul was about to do. Before she could say another word, Paul wound back his arm and threw the football straight into the woods.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jacob yelled advancing towards Paul.

Kourtney ran to separate the two. Quil went to pull back Jacob. He was shrugged off. Jacob was close enough that Paul could've swung and landed a hit on his nose. The only thing that stopped him was Kourtney who stood as a barrier between them. As he looked at his girlfriend standing between them, Paul noticed something. He studied Jacob carefully. Jacob looked different. For one thing, it seemed like he sprouted a few inches. He looked over at Quil. The two were usually the same height, but Paul saw that Jacob was indeed a little taller now. Realization hit Paul.

"Quil is your grandpa home?" Paul asked. Quil seemed surprised that he was talking to him.

"Uh, no. He hasn't come back from Neah Bay yet."

Paul knew that Old Quil was usually the one who could distinguish the signs of a soon-to-be shifter. He started to walk towards the woods.

"What are you doing?" Kourtney asked.

"Getting the damn football!" Paul quickly located the football. He ran back and walked right up to Jacob. He handed the football to Jacob who seemed suspicious.

"Take it!" Paul barked. Jacob took the football. Paul extended out his hand. "Sorry about that. Truce?"

Jacob looked down at his hand then over at Kourtney.

"Come on, man," Paul said. "I get you don't like me and I honestly don't give a damn about you. But obviously, you're being protective over Kourtney, just like Cody. I won't hurt her, alright? So, truce?"

Jacob seemed to considered Paul's words. He shook his head and started to walk away.

"What was that?" Kourtney asked.

"Nothing," Paul said. "I gotta go babe. I'll see you tomorrow? I can pick you up in the morning?"

Kourtney smiled and nodded.

Paul gave her a quick kiss and ran to his truck. He sped down the road and headed to Emily's. Once he was parked, he burst through the front door, his sudden entrance caused Emily to scream.

"Paul!"

"Sorry! Where's Sam?"

"What's wrong?" Sam asked as he entered from the kitchen.

"Jacob Black is next!"

The first day back at school was dismal for most students at La Push. One student in particular, however, was determined to make it the best homecoming in history. Dressed from head to toe in designer clothes, Marianne entered La Push High School. She smiled as she saw all the heads she turned just walking down the hallway. Her smile got even wider when she saw none other than Paul Lahote at his locker.

Marianne's eyes traveled up and down Paul Lahote. She was surprised to see how tall he'd gotten and how big his muscles had got. She thought that Kayla and Moni had just been pulling her leg. All she knew was that she had to get him back. She was determined to make her senior year the best, and a romantic second chance story with the hottest guy in school would certainly help.

"Hey Paul," she greeted, leaning on the locker beside his.

"Hey," Paul said. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. He quickly grabbed a book and stuffed it in his backpack. He was ready to close his locker which meant he was ready to leave.

"Did you get my texts?" Marianne asked. "I was hoping to hear from you."

"Look, Marianne," Paul said. "I'm seeing someone, okay?"

"You are? Who?"

Paul hesitated then took breath.

"Kourtney. I'm seeing Kourtney now."

Marianne felt a rush of emotions. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"This is a joke, right?" Marianne asked, not accepting the fact that Kourtney would betray her like that. Sure, she may have said a few hurtful things, but that didn't mean Kourtney could date Paul. "You didn't tell me this."

"That's why I'm telling you now," Paul said. "I'm sorry."

Paul quickly took his leave, hoping that Kourtney didn't catch him talking with Marianne. Marianne stared after Paul, still shocked over what she found out.

"Were you just talking to your ex-boyfriend?" Kayla asked, a smirk on her face.

"He told me he's dating Kourtney," Marianne said.

"What?" Moni shrieked as she joined her friends.

"What's going on?" Leslie asked.

"Paul and Kourtney are finally dating!" Moni exclaimed.

"That's great! I was wondering when they'd…" Leslie trailed off, seeing the look that Marianne gave her. Moni slowly changed her expression. "Sorry."

Leslie left the three girls.

"Obviously this is a new thing if even you two didn't know," Marianne said. "That means I still have a chance to change his mind!"

.-~*~-.

Kourtney and Kim were the first of their group to be seated at their usual table in the cafeteria.

"People are buzzing," Kim said.

"The return of Marianne?" Kourtney asked. "I know. In all the classes we have, people keep acting like we're about to fight any second."

"Actually, I was talking more about people buzzing about you and Paul being the new couple."

Kourtney rolled her eyes, but still smiled.

"Kourtney!" Christy cried as she took her place at the table. "Please tell me you heard about Paul and Marianne?"

"What do you mean?" Kourtney asked.

"Paul didn't tell you? That he talked to Marianne?"

"He did. Marianne dropped by his house yesterday."

"She did?" Kim asked. Kourtney nodded her head. "What did she want?"

Kourtney shrugged just as Christy said, "To get back with him?"

"Wait, what?" Kourtney asked in surprise.

"I thought you said Paul told you."

"Paul told me that Marianne went to see him and that's it."

"So he didn't mention the texts?" Christy asked. Her voice softened as if it would soften the bad news.

"What texts?" Kourtney asked. She looked at Kim who seemed to be just as surprised as she was.

"Marianne said she and Paul have been texting each other since they saw each other."

"Paul didn't know she was back until yesterday." The gears started to turn in Kourtney's mind. "So they just started texting one another yesterday?"

The other two girls didn't know what to say. Kourtney got up as she spotted Embry walking in. She walked towards him and intercepted him.

"Embry!"

"Hey, Kourt. What's up?" Embry said. He continued to walk towards their table, but Kourtney grabbed his arm. He looked at her in surprised.

"It wasn't you or Jared was it?" Kourtney asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When Paul said you were texting him while we were having lunch. Jared said it was him using your phone. That's not true, was it?"

Embry's face paled.

"Uh. It was," he said.

"You would really lie to me, too?" Kourtney asked, her eyes showing a look of hurt. Embry felt bad.

"I'm sorry Kourt, but Paul's gonna kill me," he said in a low voice, hoping Paul wasn't around to hear with his super hearing.

Kourtney nodded. It was enough of a confirmation for her. Her stomach twisted as she saw Paul walk in.

"Speak of the devil," Embry said. "Don't tell him I told you!"

"I won't." Embry left in a hurry and Kourtney walked towards Paul. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Paul said. He looked over at their table where Christy sent him a glare and Embry avoided eye contact. He sighed. He knew this talk was not going to be a good one. He took her hand and they made their way out to the hallway. Paul led her towards the front doors.

"Are you crazy? It's freezing outside," Kourtney said. Paul shrugged off his sweater, leaving him in only a white t-shirt. He draped the sweater over Kourtney's shoulders and continued to lead her outside. He threw his arm over her shoulder and Kourtney's was kept decently warm with his body heat.

They took the bench closest to the front door.

"What's up?" Paul asked. Kourtney looked him square in the eye.

"Why didn't you tell me about Marianne texting you? And about her wanting to get back with you?"

"It didn't matter," Paul said automatically.

"Seriously, Paul? That's what you said yesterday."

"And you know why it doesn't matter. She texted me, I didn't text back. She told me she wanted to get back together, I told her I was with you."

"You did?" Paul nodded.

"I'm not getting back with her, Kourt. Okay?"

Kourtney nodded. She stood up.

"That's it?" Paul asked.

"You tell me," Kourtney said. "Is there anything else you're not telling me because you don't think it matters?"

"Come on, babe," Paul began. Kourtney shook her head.

"I'll talk to you later, Paul."

Paul groaned as Kourtney walked back inside. He cursed himself and then Marianne.

.-~*~-.

"Christy! You think you can give me a ride after school?"

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?"

"Kourt, you can ride with me," Kim offered.

"Thanks Kim but I'm not in the mood to have Jared lie to me either."

"Sorry about that," Kim told her.

"It's not your fault Kim. I know that Jared and Paul are best buddies and he's just looking out for him."

"And I'll be looking out for you."

Kourtney smiled.

"So what did Paul have to say for himself?" Christy asked.

"He said he didn't tell me about the texts and about Marianne wanting to get back with him because it didn't matter."

"It didn't matter?" Christy exclaimed. "Are you serious? Is that what he really said?"

"It didn't matter because he didn't reply to the texts and he has no intentions of getting back with Marianne."

"See, nothing to worry about!" Kim said. Christy rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. This is strike one for Lahote to me."

"Well, good thing he's not dating you." Kourtney laughed at the two cousins.

"Yeah, I'm still kinda upset over it. I don't want to see him right now. Or talk to him."

"Why not?" Kim asked, concerned.

"Because I know that all he has to do is look at him with those eyes and kiss me with those lips and I'll just melt and turn into mush and… I can't make it that easy for him," Kourtney joked. Kim laughed. "Can we go? Before Paul notices that I'm not going to be riding with him?"

Christy nodded. All three girls walked down the parking lot. Kourtney groaned to herself when she saw that Jared parked right next to Christy's car.

"Hey, babe," Jared greeted. "Sup, Hunt."

Kourtney gave him a tight smile before disappearing into Christy's car.

"What was that about?" Jared asked Kim when she got into the passenger's seat.

"She knows that you lied about texting Paul."

"Oh, shit. How much trouble is Paul in?"

"Obviously, she's not riding home with him! So she's pretty upset. I mean, how would you feel if my ex-boyfried texted me asking me to take him back and I didn't tell you?"

Jared grumbled under his breath.

"Exactly!"

* * *

 **AN:** As usual, I hope you dear readers enjoyed! This chapter was getting to be pretty long so I decided it had to be two chapters. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow or the day after since I have the majority of it done! Let me know what you thought!


	27. Chapter 27

"Hi Paul!"

Paul groaned as Marianne approached him.

"Leave me alone, Marianne. I know you're purposely starting these rumors about us getting back together. We aren't! I'm happy with Kourtney!"

Marianne put on an innocent face.

"I'm not starting anything, Paul! It's not my fault that people around here like gossiping," Marianne told him.

"People being your two best friends Moni and Kayla?"

"Oh, hi, Kourtney. Your boyfriend and I were just talking."

Paul whipped around just in time to see Kourtney approaching. He walked over to her and reached for her before she tried to slip away from him again. The entire day, Kourtney had been avoiding him.

"Babe," Paul said, pulling her towards him. "Can we talk?"

Kourtney turned to face him.

"Look, I am sorry for everything," he told her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Kourt? Say something."

"I don't know where to start, Paul. You lied to me. You hid stuff from me."

"I honestly thought it was for the best! I didn't want you distancing yourself away from me again. I am not going to get back with Marianne. Trust me."

Marianne heard her name. She took her time at her locker, hoping to hear more of Paul and Kourtney's conversation.

"I did trust you, Paul! But now…"

"Now you don't? It was a mistake okay?" Paul said.

"That's what Alex told me, too. You know, the other guy that I dated and trusted."

"Wait," Paul said, suddenly dropping his hold on Kourtney. "Are you comparing me to Alex?"

Kourtney bit her lip. She had to admit that bringing up her ex-boyfriend might have been a bad move on her part.

"Are you serious? Kourt, I am nothing like that fucking asshole! What I did isn't even half as bad as what he did!"

"But you admit that what you did was still bad?"

"Nowhere as bad as cheating on you!" Paul cried.

Kourtney looked around, seeing that a few students were beginning to watch their little argument. She knew that their conversation should've been done in private. She also knew that Paul was mad and a mad Paul was not someone you could talk civilly with.

"I'll talk to you later after you cool down," Kourtney said. Paul let out a frustrated groan.

"Of course, princess," Paul said. Kourtney glared at him. It was a nickname she hated being called, a fact that Paul knew, but obviously didn't care about at the moment. She spun on her heel and walked away, leaving Paul trembling with frustration and anger.

Marianne watched with delight as a furious Paul stomped out of the school. She was sure she just witnessed the beginning of the end of La Push's latest couple. Pretty soon, she'd have Paul back with her.

.-~*~-.

Paul sulked in his chair. He left school early to run off the anger. It took him an hour to finally calm down and another half hour for him to phase back. By that time, it was close to the end of school and he was sure that Emily already had some food ready at her house. So there he was, sitting at Emily's kitchen table, sulking. He had been wrong, Emily had not even started cooking. So now he was sulking and hungry.

"Stop with that face, Paul," Emily said from the kitchen. "I didn't know you were coming here early!"

Paul rested his arms on the table and then laid his head on top.

"Why are you here early? Did something happen?" When she heard no response, Emily made her way to the breakfast nook to see what Paul was doing. "Paul?"

Walking over to him, she informed him that she wasn't going to start cooking until he talked.

"You will most likely be blamed for the food not being ready and your brothers will probably kick your ass," Emily continued. Paul straightened back up.

"Kourtney compared me to that asshole Alex," Paul told her.

"She what? Why would she do that? You are nothing like him!"

"That's what I told her! I mean, he's the one who cheated on her. He had sex with another girl and I just didn't mention a few things to her about Marianne, and I'm suddenly a bad guy too?"

"What else did she say?" Emily asked, not getting how Paul was anything like Alex in Kourtney's eyes.

"Just that I lied to her and I hid stuff from her. I told her it was a mistake and that I was sorry."

"And then?"

"Then she said that Alex said the same thing-" Emily started nodding her head. "What?"

"Paul, Kourtney is just scared that you'll hurt her like Alex hurt her." She could see the anger start burning in Paul's eyes. "Listen! Kourtney's heart wasn't the only thing that got hurt after she got cheated on; her trust did too. I know it's an unfair comparison and there is a big difference between you and that slime ball, but one thing you two have in common is that you betrayed her trust."

"So she automatically assumes that I'll just cheat on her?" Emily nodded. "That's stupid! I would never do that!"

Emily sighed.

"Paul, she probably that about Alex, too! And what did he do? He cheated on her. I know you'll never do that or hurt her like that, but she's been hurt before. She probably doesn't want to go through that again. I mean, you remember how she was when she first heard about it, right?"

He did. He remembered seeing her tear streaked cheeks and the way she forced herself to smile. Paul felt his chest tighten. It was as if he was feeling all the pain she felt before. Paul suddenly stood up.

"Where you going?" Emily asked.

"To see Kourtney," he told her. He grabbed a couple of cookies before taking his leave. He got into his truck an started the short drive to Kourtney's. Luck was on his side when he ended up behind Kourtney's car as he turned onto her street. He slowed his truck to a stop behind hers. Paul got out of his truck and walked towards her car. She was stepping out by the time he got to her.

"Hey," Paul said.

"Hi," Kourtney replied. Paul took her hand and took a step closer to her. He kissed her forehead and then took her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair.

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

"I don't want another argument, Kourtney," he said, stepping back, though he kept her hand in his. "I'm trying to apologize and I'm trying to tell you that I now understand why you were upset." Paul cupped her face in his hands. He looked into her eyes and continued, "I promise you that nothing is going on between me and Marianne. I'm happy with you. With us." Kourtney nodded her head. "And I am asking you to trust me. What I did was stupid, but I honestly thought it was for the best. I was scared of losing you just when we finally got together."

What Paul said touched Kourtney and melted all the anger she felt. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry, too," she mumbled. She heard Paul's laugh rumble in his chest. She looked up at him to see him smiling. He leaned down and gave her a kiss. She smiled. "I'm sorry for comparing you to-"

"It's okay," Paul said. "Let's just move on from it." Kourtney nodded. "Just know that you can trust me. And I promise that I will never hurt you."

"Okay and I promise to stop distancing myself from you," Kourtney said.

"Deal." They sealed their promises with another kiss.

.-~*~-.

Marianne was posted at her locker, waiting to hear for any news of the break-up of La Push's new couple. She was eager to see a broken hearted, puffy eyed Kourtney walk through the door. It would only serve her right for backstabbing her best friend. Marianne snuck a look in the mirror, making sure that her make-up was done right and her hair was still nice and smoot. She needed to look good when Paul came in. Marianne was in the middle of reapplying her lip gloss when she heard the Paul's booming voice laughing. Another voice belonging to a guy let Marianne know that it was indeed Paul and his new friend, who Marianne never remembered the name of.

"You guys are such jerks!"

Marianne looked up and was completely surprised to see Kourtney walking alongside Paul.

"We're just kidding babe," Paul said as he picked Kourtney up and whirled her around. Marianne watched as the couple waved by to the other guy and headed to their own lockers. She was both angry and upset at seeing the couple still being very much a couple. She slammed her locker and headed to her first class.

"So, are you busy tomorrow night?" Paul asked.

"Tomorrow? No. Why?"

"Wow, nice to know you remember my birthday, Hunt!" He poked at Kourtney's side.

"I'm sorry! I know when your birthday is! I just forgot it was tomorrow!"

Paul smiled.

"I'll forgive you if you agree to dinner with me tomorrow."

"Okay, only if you agree to let me pay because I didn't get you a birthday present," Kourtney told him.

"You don't need to get me anything. Dinner with you tomorrow is enough."

"Cheeseball," Kourtney said. Paul gave her a kiss.

"Ugh, you two!" Mr. Joseph cried as he passed by. "If I see you two do that one more time…"

"Sorry, Mr. Joseph," Paul and Kourtney said. Their favorite teacher smiled and gave them a wink. It was probably the fifth time they'd been caught kissing or hugging by him, and he had yet to follow through with his threat.

"I'll see you later," Kourtney told Paul as the bell rang. She tiptoed to give him a kiss.

"Ms. Hunt! I can still see you!"

Kourtney laughed and instead blew a kiss to Paul.

.-~*~-.

The following night, Kourtney walked hand in hand with Paul into the River's Edge. Alicia smiled upon seeing the two enter.

"Just in time, you two!" She said. "I just sat your dad down at the table a few minutes ago!"

"Your dad?" Kourtney asked, looking at Paul. Her boyfriend kept his head staring straight. It didn't take long for her to see Paul's dad seated at the table that Alicia was leading them to. "We're having dinner with your dad?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't tell me because?"

"I didn't want you backing out."

"A little warning would have been nice. Now, I'm all nervous!" Kourtney cried.

"Why? You've met him before!"

"Yeah, but not as your girlfriend!"

Paul laughed.

"Don't worry, babe. He's always liked you," Paul told her. Alicia looked back at Kourtney and smiled. Kourtney returned with a weak smile.

"Paul's right, sweetheart. Don't worry!" Alicia whispered to her. She gestured them to their table.

"Hello," Gene said.

"Hi, Mr. Lahote," Kourtney greeted as she slid into the booth.

"Good evening, Kourtney. Paul, happy birthday, son!"

Paul sat beside Kourtney.

"Thanks, dad."

"That's right! Happy Birthday, young Lahote!" Alicia handed them their menus before leaving.

"It's nice to finally see you two together," Gene told them. He smiled at Paul when he saw Kourtney shyly look away. "Do you know what you want? I am starving!"

After placing their order, the three were left with time to talk. Although Gene already knew Kourtney from when she dated Paul's best friend, he wanted to get to know her more. After all, there was a huge chance that she would eventually be his daughter-in-law…if Paul didn't do anything stupid to ruin their bond. Gene pushed the thought out of his head.

"So how are your parents, Kourtney?" Instantly, Gene saw Kourtney tense up. Paul shot his dad a look then shook his head slightly.

"They're fine," Kourtney said.

"Uh, how's school for you both?" Gene asked.

"Good," Paul replied. Kourtney only nodded in agreement.

Before Gene could ask another question, he heard, "Mr. Lahote!"

"You gotta be kidding me," Paul said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He rubbed the back of his head and shot Kourtney an apologetic look.

"Marianne!" Gene was genuinely surprised to see his son's ex-girlfriend. He glanced at Paul and Kourtney, both who seemed suddenly deep into a conversation. He turned his attention back to Marianne. "I didn't know you were back."

"Yeah, I arrived last week. I stopped by your house actually, but only Paul was home." Gene looked at Paul who was still facing Kourtney. It seemed Paul was avoiding acknowledging Marianne while Kourtney just seemed uncomfortable. Gene couldn't blame them, it was an uncomfortable situation. It was only last year that Marianne was the one having dinner with him and Paul for Paul's birthday.

"It's good to see you back Marianne," Gene said. "I'm sure your parents are happy that you're back."

"Yeah, they are. They're actually in Seattle right now. I got them tickets to see this one show that my mom has always wanted to see."

"That was nice of you," Gene told her.

"Yeah, I kind of regret not going with them. I tried cooking my own dinner. It didn't turn out well which is why I am here," Marianne laughed. Paul looked over at his dad when he heard him laugh too. He knew exactly what Marianne was doing and he was trying to get his dad's attention.

"Well, why don't join us?" Paul hung his head down and cursed under his breath. He felt Kourtney's hand on his leg as if to reassure him.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Marianne said.

"No, it's no intrusion." Gene looked at Paul who didn't seem pleased.

"If you insist. Would that be okay with you, Kourtney?"

Kourtney looked surprised with Marianne addressing her. It was the first time they actually talked since Marianne's return. She felt Mr. Lahote's eyes on her.

"Uh, yeah," Kourtney began to say.

"No," Paul said, finally facing Marianne. "It's not okay."

"Paul!"

"It's my birthday. I'm the birthday boy and sorry, Marianne, but I want to spend my birthday dinner with my dad and my girlfriend."

Marianne composed herself and managed a smile.

"Of course, I'm sorry," she said. "Well, enjoy your dinner. And Happy birthday, Paul."

The table was silent and Gene waited to speak until Marianne took her seat at the other side of the restaurant.

"Paul," Gene began. Paul was saved from whatever his father was going to say when their food arrived. Everyone ate their food in silence. Pretty soon, the father and son started a conversation about Gene's recent fishing trip. Paul mentioned wanting to take Kourtney out, an idea that Gene was very much a fan of.

"It has to be when it gets warm," Paul told him. "She hates the cold."

"Everyone has to experience winter fishing at least once!"

"Eventually I'll get there," Kourtney laughed. "Just, maybe not this winter."

Paul smiled when Gene laughed. He was glad they got over the awkward situation that Marianne purposely created. Kourtney was once again unable to pay the bill since Mr. Lahote had already done so.

"I'll see you at home, Paul," Gene said. "Don't stay out too late. It's a school night and I'm sure Kourtney's parents want her home at a decent time."

"Yes, sir" Paul said.

"Good night, Kourtney."

"Good night, Mr. Lahote. Thank you for dinner."

Gene nodded and gave a wave. Paul pulled Kourtney closer to him and embraced her.

"You ready to go home?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kourtney said. "I'm heading into a food coma."

Paul laughed and slid out of the booth. He offered her his hand and helped her out. The two avoided looking in Marianne's direction, but they could feel her eyes on them. Paul noticed how Kourtney let go of his hand and increased the space between them as they passed by Marianne's table. He frowned when he realized she was avoiding PDA in front of Marianne. Once they got out of the restaurant, Paul reached for her, hugging her from behind. He kissed her cheek before spinning her around. She giggled as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said.

"What?"

"Marianne," he said.

Kourtney shrugged.

"How's that your fault?"

"I'm just sorry it happened. I knew she was up to something."

Kourtney loosened his hold on her.

"She's not always up to something Paul. I mean, it's the first time she's seen your dad since she's been back. I'm sure she just wanted to be polite and say hi."

"You're too nice, you know that Hunt," Paul told her.

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt. Plus, the res is a small town, a small community. We are bound to run into her out of school. We just gotta act civil."

Paul nodded.

.-~*~-.

The following day, Paul walked into school just as the bell signaled for the end of third period. He was woken up in the middle of the night by Sam's alpha call. They had to deal with a few vampires which took them a couple of hours to round up. Paul slept in again.

He walked towards the lockers, hoping to catch Kourtney before her next class. He was busy trying to find an excuse as to why he missed the first few classes when Marianne approached him. Due to being distracted, Paul made the mistake of greeting her.

"Hi, Paul," Marianne replied with surprised yet pleased looked on her face. "Uh, well, I came over because you weren't in class this morning."

"I just got in."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was just…tired. Slept in."

Marianne laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Glad to see that some things haven't changed," she joked. When he didn't laugh, Marianne cleared her throat. "Well, we have a project to do for Mr. Anderson and I signed us up to be partners. I hope you don't mind."

"You what?" He didn't give Marianne time to answer. He walked away and headed to Mr. Anderson's classroom. He caught him just as he was locking up the door. "Mr. A!"

"Mr. Lahote, why weren't you in class this morning?"

"I uh…slept it." Mr. Anderson sighed. "Look, I heard there's a project-"

"Yes, Marianne was nice enough to volunteer to be your partner-"

"Is there any way you can change that? I mean, isn't there someone else I can be partnered up with?"

Mr. Anderson shook his head.

"I'm sorry. Everyone is already partnered up. I can't make people switch partners just for you, Paul. Especially if you don't even show up for class!"

Paul sighed in defeat.

.-~*~-.

"What's wrong with you?" Embry asked when Paul joined them at the lunch table.

"Hey, Paul!" Marianne called as he took a seat beside Paul. Embry choked on his food and started to cough. Marianne rolled her eyes and turned towards Paul. "So, about our project-"

"Marianne, can we do this later?" Paul groaned. He still hadn't even seen Kourtney, but he'd seen Marianne two times too many.

"Sure," Marianne said. "I'll swing by your house around 5."

"No, what? Wait!" Paul cried as Marianne stood up from her seat and made her way to the table with her friends. Paul groaned again. "Un-fucking-believable!"

"Kourtney's gonna kill you," Embry said. Paul sent him a murderous look and Embry slowly scooted over a few seats.

"What's going on?" Christy asked as she took a seat.

"Nothing," Paul said just as Embry spilled the beans. Paul threw his apple at Embry which he caught.

"Unbelievable," Christy muttered.

"I know, right?"

"Why didn't you switch partners or something?" Christy cried.

It took Paul a second to understand what Christy meant.

"Wait, you think I _want_ to be partnered up with her?"

"If you didn't, you wouldn't!"

"I tried-"

"Obviously not hard enough! You know that Marianne still has delusions that you two will get back together and she doesn't care if she hurts Kourtney in the process. Besides you already hurt her enough when you lied to her-"

"Shut the fuck up, Christy! You don't know what you're talking about!" Paul yelled.

"Paul!" Kim cried as she and Kourtney approached the table. "Don't talk to my cousin like that!"

"What is going on?" Kourtney asked, looking at her boyfriend. Embry remained in his seat, eating his lunch, and enjoying the drama unfold.

"Your boyfriend is an asshole," Christy told Kourtney before storming away, taking a seat at another table. Kim followed suit.

"Babe," Paul began.

"What happened?" Kourtney asked. Paul sighed.

"Don't get mad or upset," he warned.

"Oh no," Kourtney replied.

"Dude, you never start off like that!" Embry told him. Kourtney and Paul looked at him. "Sorry."

"Marianne volunteered to be my partner for this project for Mr. Anderson's class," Paul explained. "She came over earlier wanting to talk about it and somehow ended with her inviting herself to my house later on." Paul saw Kourtney clench her jaw then relax it. Other than that, she had a complete poker face. Paul waited for her to say something, instead she nodded.

"You know what? It's okay," Kourtney said with a sigh. "I did say that we should at least try and be civil with her."

Paul scoffed.

"Plus," Kourtney continued, placing a hand on his arm. "It's for school. You can't not do it just because you don't want to work with her. Just try and be nice, okay?" Paul nodded. "I'll see you later. I'm gonna go see if Christy's okay."

"Tell her I'm sorry."

"You can tell her yourself later. Just give her time to cool off."

Kourtney gave him a kiss and headed over to Christy and Kim.

Later on after school Paul found himself seated on his couch with Marianne beside him. He made sure there was a good distance between them and even placed a small pillow between them.

"So how do you want to do this?" she asked.

"I don't know," Paul sighed. He was still trying to read over the project information.

"I was thinking," Marianne said, completely ignoring the boundary that Paul set up. "We can decide on a topic together. Set up an outline and split up the writing. Or if you want, we can just work on the whole thing together."

Paul shifted in his place on the couch.

"Can you stay on that side?" Paul asked irritably.

Marianne frowned but did as he asked.

"Do you know what topic you want?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Are you sure? Because if I pick a topic that you don't like, you can't give me shit for it."

"Just pick a damn topic, Marianne!" Paul cried, throwing his paper at the table. It slid across the table and landed at the other side. Paul grumbled and got up to pick it up. After placing it back on the table, he headed to the kitchen.

"Can I have a glass of water?" Marianne asked from where she sat.

"You can't get it yourself?" Paul asked as he started looking through the cupboards for something to eat. His irritation was only magnified when he thought about the good food that he was probably missing at Emily's house. As he stared into space, wondering what food Jared and Embry were probably enjoying, Marianne sat on the counter beside him.

"Earth to Paul!" she said as she tapped him on his shoulders. Her fingers slowly lingered and brushed down his arm, feeling his muscles.

"Huh?" Paul snapped out of his thoughts and then looked down at his arm, seeing that Marianne's hand was on him. He shrugged it off and made his way back to the living room with a bag of chips. He heard Marianne hop off the counter and follow him.

He plopped back on his side of the couch and opened the bag of chips. Marianne sat down and quietly looked over her papers. Every now and then she would glance at Paul, first his face, then his lips, then down his body. Her heart hammered against her chest. A part of her wanted to just scream out that she loved him and that he didn't belong with Kourtney. The other parts wanted to slap him, to hit him, to cuss him out for what he did to her. Then there was another part of her that just wanted to jump onto Paul and kiss him. That was the part that didn't care whether or not he still had feelings for her. It was the part that just wanted a taste of Paul again, to have him touch her like he used to.

Marianne turned back to her paper, her cheeks flushing at the thoughts she was having. She reread the same sentence over and over; she couldn't focus. She glanced back over and saw that Paul was texting. She rolled her eyes, thinking that it was with Kourtney. Then he frowned and tossed his phone on the table.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm fucking starving."

"You just finished that bag of chips by yourself!"

"I'm gonna see what else there is to eat," Paul said. He got up and headed back to the kitchen. Marianne watched him walk away and checking out his backside. She had to tell herself repeatedly to remain where she was. Following him into the kitchen would be too desperate.

Paul stomped back into the living room empty handed. She was about to suggest getting a bite to eat somewhere when he snatched his cell phone. He dialed a number then brought the phone to his ear. Marianne's hoped that he wasn't calling Kourtney to come over. She pretended to read her textbook, but kept her ear on Paul's conversation.

"What do you guys have over there? I'm hungry! Shut up, Jared! Tell Embry to bring me some food! Okay, then you can bring me some food! Dude, you and Kim aren't attached at the fucking hip! You can leave her for five minutes! No, she's out doing something otherwise she would've been the first one I called! Come on, man! Wait!" Paul sat on the couch and looked at Marianne. "How much longer are we gonna take?"

"Paul, we haven't even started! We need to pick a topic first," Marianne told him.

"I told you I didn't care. Just pick a damn topic."

"Fine," Marianne said.

"Is that all?"

Marianne sighed. "No! We still have to decide what the hell we're gonna do!"

Paul glared at her and returned to his phone call.

"Shut up, Jared! She knows! No, don't put her-" Paul sighed. He leaned back into the couch and ran his hand through his hair. His shirted lifted a couple of inches and Marianne noticed his abs which were a lot more defined now. "Hi, Emily! Yes. I know. Yes, Kourtney knows."

Marianne no longer tried to hide her interest in Paul's conversation. She wondered who Emily was and what Kourtney knew. She wondered if they were talking about her being at Paul's house.

"I'll drop by afterward. I'll see if Kourtney wants to go, which I'm sure she does. We'll see you later then, Emily."

Paul hung up his phone.

"Can we just hurry up?" Paul asked.

"Look, we can just meet up again tomorrow or something since you suddenly have plans," Marianne said. She noted the relieved look on Paul's face. "I'll pick the topic and work on an outline tonight. Everything else you need to help me with!"

"Fine, fine," Paul said. He was already on his phone, texting Kourtney no doubt. A minute later, Paul's phone chimed and he smiled as he read the text.

Seeing him his face light up and a smile replace the frown he had rubbed Marianne the wrong way. It was mainly due to the fact that she knew it was Kourtney who was making Paul happy now. The part of Marianne that wanted to curse out Paul seemed to be winning. Then he looked up at her, with the smile still on his face. For a split second, Marianne was able to pretend that the smile was meant for her. The smile that she still made her weak in the knees. For that split second, Marianne's anger was gone and instead her feelings for Paul intensified.

Without warning, Marianne closed the distance between and leaned in to kiss him.

"What the hell?" Paul cried as he pushed her away and jumped up. "What the fuck, Marianne?"

"Paul, I-"

"Get the hell out! Now!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know-"

"I'm serious, Marianne!" Paul could feel his arms shaking. He breathed in deep breaths. He couldn't phase in front of her. He needed to get her out so he could slip away into the forest. He grabbed her, hoping he wasn't being too rough and walked her to the door.

"I'm sorry! Paul, you're hurting me!" She cried as they got outside.

Paul loosened his hold on her and started towards the forest without another word. He ignored her pleas for him to stop and talk to her. He ran deeper into the forest and hoped that she wouldn't follow. He knew he was going to get in trouble for heading into the forest while someone could see him, but Paul needed to get away from her. He instantly phased into his wolf form.

 _Keep running, Paul_ , came Sam's voice. The last few minutes immediately unfolded for Sam and Embry to see. I _'ll make sure she doesn't come through the forest._

Suddenly, Paul could hear Embry laugh.

 _Why the hell are you laughing?_

 _I can't wait to see what Kourtney says when you tell her._

Paul cursed.

 _So between Kourtney and Marianne, who do you think would win?_

* * *

 **AN:** I hope you enjoyed! I wanted to give you readers a chapter since it's been a week or so since the last update! Hope you enjoyed!


	28. Chapter 28

Kourtney was at her locker Thursday morning. Paul was late picking her up and she made a quick stop to her locker and urged Paul to get to his class. She grabbed the book she needed and closed her locker. As she turned to leave, she saw none other than Marianne making her way towards her own locker. Kourtney felt herself boil with anger when she remembered what Paul shared about Marianne trying to kiss him. Marianne avoided looking at her and walked past to her locker. Kourtney knew she should just head to class, but she didn't want to miss her chance to talk to Marianne.

Finally, she turned and walked to where Marianne was.

"Hey," Kourtney said. Marianne didn't say anything. She didn't even acknowledge her. "Marianne! We need to talk!"

Marianne slammed her locker.

"No, we don't."

"Paul told me that you tried to kiss him," Kourtney said, blocking her from moving.

"I did," Marianne admitted. Kourtney gave her a disgusted look. "What? It's okay for you to kiss him when he was with me, but I can't kiss him when he's with you?"

Kourtney's question stunned Marianne, making the latter smirk.

"What's the difference, Kourt?"

Kourtney was able to quickly recover and compose herself. She pushed away the feeling of guilt and focused on the fact that Marianne admitted to trying to kiss Paul without any remorse or apologies.

"The difference, Marianne," Kourtney said in a steady, firm voice. "Is that Paul is still with me."

The smirk from Marianne's face instantly faded. It was soon replaced with a look of anger.

"He may be with you now, Kourtney," Marianne said. "But I had him first."

Kourtney gave a laugh.

"At least that's what you think."

"What?"

"Remember how I told you that Paul introduced himself to me on the first day of hell week?" Kourtney could see the gears in Marianne's head turning. "Ever wonder why?"

Marianne started shaking her head.

"If only I hadn't agreed to go on that date with Alex," Kourtney continued, knowing that she finally beat Marianne at her own game. "Who knows? Maybe Paul and I would've been together from the beginning up until now."

"You bitch," Marianne spat. The tears that collected in her eyes rolled down her cheeks. She pushed past Kourtney and ran out of the school. Kourtney felt a sense of victory. Only a small sense of guilt plagued her, but she brushed it off. She knew for a fact that Marianne would no longer be a problem for her or Paul.

Kourtney spun on her heel and headed back to class.

.-~*~-.

"Hey Kourtney," Kayla said approaching the table cautiously. She eyed Embry as if he was going to attack her any second. "Have you seen Marianne around?"

"Why do you think I would know where she is?" Kourtney asked. Her tone caught the attention of her friends at the table and they all stopped and looked at her.

Kayla shrugged.

"Just wondering," Kayla told her. "I haven't seen her since first period."

Kourtney only shook her head. Kayla back away a few steps before turning and hurrying back to her own lunch table. It was only then that Kourtney noticed her friends' stares.

"What?" she asked.

"What did you do to Marianne?" Embry asked.

"I didn't do anything!"

"So defensive," Embry muttered. Kourtney chucked a fry at him which he caught by his mouth. She stared at him with amazement.

"You didn't talk to her this morning?" Paul asked. She was ready to shake her head no when he continued. "I saw her walking to the lockers while I was heading to class."

Kourtney opened her mouth to answer but then closed it. She bit her lower lip and looked away.

"Babe," Paul said again.

"Okay, maybe I did run into her," she admitted.

"Wait, what's going on?" Christy asked.

"Nothing," Paul said answering for the both of them. Christy wasn't given a chance to argue since the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. All the students exited the cafeteria and filled up the hallways. Paul grabbed Kourtney by the waist and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down.

"What happened with Marianne?"

"Marianne! Where have you been?" Moni called. Kourtney stopped walking and looked up to see a puffy eyed Marianne standing in front of the senior lockers.

"I have a feeling you are about to find out," Kourtney said.

"What's wrong?" Kayla asked Marianne as she and Moni approached her. "Have you been crying?"

Marianne didn't answer, instead her red eyes were trained on Paul. He felt uneasy under her gaze and he slowly unwrapped his arms from Kourtney. Marianne walked over to Paul and Kourtney positioned herself in front of him.

"Marianne," she began. But she was ignored. Marianne quickly pushed Kourtney aside into Kim and Christy. Marianne walked up to Paul and slapped him across the face. It wasn't hard enough to hurt Paul, but was loud enough to catch the attention of a handful of students nearby.

"You asshole!" Marianne told him. Embry quickly made his way through the crowd and stood beside Paul. He placed a hand on Paul's shoulder as if to calm him down. Embry could already see him taking deep breaths. Paul's eyes were intense and were locked on Marianne's.

"Let's go," Embry told him in a low voice.

"You fucking asshole!" Marianne continued. "You liked Kourtney from the very start!"

Marianne's accusation caught the attention of more people and a small crowd began to form.

"Oh shit," Embry muttered. He looked over at Kourtney who looked worried and guilty.

"Is that true?" she continued. "You only approached her because you liked her! Is that true?"

Paul remained silent. Even though he was focusing on not phasing, he knew he couldn't deny that it was the truth.

"Answer me, Paul! All this time you had feelings for Kourtney? Even before we dated, even before we met. You liked her even before she met Alex, didn't you?"

Paul broke eye contact with Marianne and looked over at Kourtney realizing that she must've told Marianne. He turned back to Marianne, whose face was now streaked with tears. As mad as he was at her, all the anger seemed to have disappeared and been replaced with one of guilt and sympathy.

"Marianne," he began, sending her into a wave of sobs. She began to shake her head no. "I'm sor-"

He wasn't able to finish his apology. Marianne covered her mouth as her sobs became more hysterical. She turned and pushed through the crowd. Kayla and Moni glared at Paul and turned to glare at Kourtney, but Embry moved himself to block her. He narrowed his eyes at them until they retreated.

"Alright, everyone move it!" Embry cried. He saw that people stuck around to watch what Paul and Kourtney would do now. He looked to make sure that Paul was okay and not shaking. When he saw that he seemed fine, he began to shoo people away.

"I'm sorry," Kourtney said as Paul walked to her. Paul shook his head as if telling her to disregard what happened. "I don't know why I told her that. She just really made me mad earlier when I tried talking to her-"

"It's okay, babe," Paul told her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. He felt her shake her head.

"I shouldn't have sunk that low," she muttered. Paul wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze. "Maybe I should go talk to her."

"No," Paul told her. "I'll go."

Kourtney looked up at him.

"I'm the one she's really angry at."

Kourtney eventually nodded. Paul gave her a kiss and set off to find where Marianne went.

.-~*~-.

After bumping into Kayla and Moni while looking for Marianne, Paul was able to find out that Marianne had gone home early for the day. He had to beg and convince them that he meant their friend no more harm before they gave up the information.

Paul took a deep breath before walking up the walkway to Marianne's house. He rang the doorbell and waited. His ears perked up when he heard someone approach the door from the other side. He waited for the door to open, but it never happened. Paul rang the doorbell again. He leaned closer to the door and heard the sound of someone breathing.

"Marianne?" he called out. "I know you're there. Can we please talk?" Nothing. Paul sighed. "Alright. I'm gonna sit out here and wait until you're ready."

Paul walked back to the porch step and sat down. Sitting in front of Marianne's house, waiting for her to come out was the last thing Paul wanted to be doing. He stretched his neck then clasp his hands together and stretched out his arms and shoulders. He leaned back, putting his hands behind him.

A few minutes passed and Paul felt his eyelids getting heavy. He spent another late night patrolling and the lack of sleep was catching up to him. He stretched his legs out in front of him and laid down on the porch. He suddenly heard the door open. He opened his eyes and saw Marianne step out. Paul quickly sat up and was ready to stand up, but she took a seat beside him.

He waited for her to be the first to say something. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Paul said something.

"I'm sorry," he began. "For everything."

"So it's true?" she asked in a small voice.

Paul sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Don't even think about lying to me," Marianne told me. "You do that to your neck when you debate whether or not to tell the truth or to lie."

This made Paul stop and bring his hands together. When he said nothing, Marianne began to stand up.

"Wait, Marianne," he said, placing a hand on her arm. She pulled her arm away, but sat back down. He sighed again. "I'm gonna be completely honest, alright? It's true. When I first saw Kourtney…I knew I just had to approach her."

"How come you didn't say anything when Alex went out with her?"

Paul shrugged.

"You said you were going to be honest!"

"Because!" He cried. "She was…different. I didn't feel good enough for her." Marianne scoffed. "No, I didn't mean anything against you! It's just that Kourtney and Alex seemed more alike… I don't know."

"So when you met me and asked me out…you still had feelings for her?"

Paul rubbed his neck again.

"Deep down…maybe."

"So I was just someone to be with until you had your chance with Kourtney?" Marianne asked getting enraged.

"No! I loved you! I did, okay?" Paul groaned. "It's hard to explain… Marianne, you can't deny that things changed between us the second you decided to go to New York."

"You said you were okay with it!"

"If I said I wasn't, would you really have stayed here?"

Marianne got quiet.

"You left for New York to chase your dreams and I was stuck here, watching everyone graduate and go off to pursue their dreams. Then Alex left…"

"And then it was just you and Kourtney," she finished. "Did anything happen before the kiss?"

"No."

"Then how…Did your feelings for her just came back out of nowhere?" Marianne asked.

"I mean, we got closer…" Paul said. "She took you and Alex leaving harder than I did. Then Alex cheated on her and I got pissed…When I asked him about it, he accused me of getting too close to Kourtney. He brought up me liking Kourtney first. After he called me out on it…I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Good old Alex," she said. "He should've just shut his mouth."

Then she laughed. Despite the tears in her eyes, Marianne threw her head back and laughed. After some time, Paul couldn't help but join in. He thought about it and realized how right she was. He wondered if things would've been different if he hadn't been reminded of his feelings for Kourtney. Then again, he would've imprinted on her either way.

"You know, this is the first civil, normal conversation we've had since I've been back. The first time I've seen you without that nasty scowl on your face," Marianne giggled. Then she sniffled.

"It was long overdue," Paul said. "We should've done this sooner. I should've been a bit more sincere. I'm sorry."

Marianne nodded then silence fell upon them once again. Each one was in their own thoughts. Paul wondered if their talk did any good and if Marianne would finally move on or have the closure she needed.

"So…are we…are we okay?" Paul asked. Marianne turned and looked him in the eye for the first time during their conversation.

"Do you really like her?"

"I do."

"There's no changing your mind?"

Paul shook his head. "She's the one for me."

Marianne gave him a sad smile as new tears rolled down her cheeks. Whatever remained of her already broken heart shattered. Her body shook as she tried to keep her crying under control.

"I'm sorry," Paul said what seemed to be the hundredth sorry that day.

She shook her head.

"It's okay," she replied in between sobs. "I needed to hear that. Even if it hurts. I know that…I know that I should let go and I need to move on. I've been trying."

Paul nodded. He sat as Marianne shed more tears.

"You should go," Marianne told him.

"I can stay here for as long as you want me to."

Marianne shook her head again.

"Then you'll be here a while," she said joked through her tears. Paul gave a small smile.

"Okay. I'll see you around then."

He stood up and took a couple steps when Marianne called out to him.

"Paul? Can I ask you a question?" When she sensed his hesitation she added, "It's nothing about me and you, or anything like that."

Paul agreed.

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You changed. Drastically. Not just physically. First you quit football, the one sport that you love, your ticket to getting out of the res." Paul sighed at the reminder. "Then you ditched your friends for a new group of friends. For people who you never spoke a word to once. What happened?"

"It's nothing," Paul told her. He tried his best to keep rubbing his neck.

"No, it's not just 'nothing.' It's something."

"I got sick."

"You got sick? What kind of sickness makes someone suddenly change the way you did? You look the opposite of someone who got sick."

"Don't worry about it Marianne, okay?"

"Why not?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I still care about you, Paul. That's never going to change."

Paul stared out into the distance and zoned out. He thought about all the changes that he went through because of the shapeshifter gene. He thought about all the things he had to give up: his friends, his dreams, his favorite sport. A part of him wanted to tell Marianne. He needed to talk to someone who was not a part of that world.

"Does Kourtney know what happened?" Marianne's question jostled Paul out of his train of thought.

"No," he said. The question awakened the urge to tell Kourtney the truth. "But she should."

.-~*~-.

"Hungry?" Kourtney asked as she led Paul into the kitchen.

She'd been anxiously waiting for his return. When he didn't show up for school, she figured that he got held up with helping with Sam or Jared with whatever it was they did. But when Jared showed no knowledge to Paul's whereabouts, Kourtney got slightly worried. She was relieved when she heard Paul's truck pull up in front of her house.

"No, no thanks." Kourtney looked up at Paul in surprised.

"But you're always hungry," Kourtney said.

Paul laughed.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't have the stomach for anything right now."

"Are you okay?"

Paul nodded. His stomach was in knots and he felt a heaviness in his chest.

"What's wrong? How'd everything go with Marianne?"

She turned around to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest, not sure if she was ready to hear what Paul had to say.

"I apologized to her, again, for everything."

"And what'd she say?"

"She asked if I really did have feelings for you and I told her I did. She asked if there was anything that would change that and I told her no."

Kourtney cleared her throat and shifted against the counter.

"I told her you were the one for me."

"You did?" Kourtney asked surprised.

"Yeah," Paul said.

A smile slowly spread across Kourtney's face. She moved towards Paul and wrapped her arms around him. Paul kissed the top of her head and held on to her. He wanted to savor the moment of having her in his arms. He still had more to tell Kourtney and he wasn't sure how things would go.

"Come here," Paul told her.

He took her hand and led her to the living room. He took a seat on the couch and pulled her beside him.

"What?"

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay?"

Paul let her hand go and rested his elbows on his knees. He wrung his hands, trying to get the last bit of courage he needed.

"Paul! You're making me nervous… Did something else happen with Marianne?"

"No! No! No, babe. It's something else."

"Tell me, then."

Kourtney inched closer to him and placed a hand on his leg. He reached for it and held it between his two hands. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, well, before I tell you…Just keep an open mind okay? Everything I'm about to tell you, I'm serious about. It may sound like a joke, but it's not."

"Paul!" Kourtney cried, getting impatient.

"Alright." Paul took a second to think of what to say. He sighed. "Remember when I asked you what your favorite Quileute legend was? From the ones that Old Quil used to tell us?"

Kourtney nodded. She was suddenly confused on why Paul was bringing up Quileute legends.

"Do you remember the legend of the Spirit Warriors? Taha Aki?"

"Uh, yeah, barely."

"You know how he asked the wolf for permission for his spirit to take over the wolf's body." Kourtney nodded. "Then after Taha Aki did that, his descendants were able to phase into wolves."

"Phase?"

"Yeah it's when we-uh…" Paul cleared his throat. He squeezed Kourtney's hand in his. He looked her in her eyes. "Kourtney, I'm a shapeshifter."

Paul held his breath, waiting for Kourtney's reaction. Her facial expression remained unchanged. Paul continued to look at Kourtney who had yet to say anything, or even move. He was beginning to think she was in shock.

"Okay," Kourtney said. She took her hand away from his and stood up. "So are you hungry?"

"Wha-" Paul stood up and followed her into the kitchen. "That's it? Okay? That's all you have to say?"

Kourtney laughed.

"You're a shapeshifter? Really, Paul? Do you seriously think I'll fall for that?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Baby, werewolves do not exist."

"Shapeshifters do," Paul said seriously.

Kourtney looked at her boyfriend. What he was telling her was insanely ridiculously, yet his serious facial expression and his body language was telling her otherwise.

"Where is all this coming from, Paul?"

"I've been wanting to tell you."

"That you're a…shapeshifter? That you are able to take over a wolf's body?"

"Actually, we turn into wolves?"

"We?" she asked, confused.

Paul sighed.

"I'm not going say anything else until you tell me that you believe me."

"Okay, I'll humor you." Kourtney said crossing her arms.

"No, I don't want you to humor me. I want you to believe me."

"You want me to believe that you're a shapeshifter?" Kourtney asked. "That you turn into a wolf when there's a full moon?"

"I don't need a full moon to phase. I can do it whenever I want."

Kourtney chuckled.

"Okay do it then. Right now!"

"I can't." Kourtney gave him a look. "Sam gave-"

"Sam? Sam is one too?"

"He's the alpha."

"Wait, Sam is the alpha? You and Sam are shapeshifters?"

"Yeah," Paul said.

He could see Kourtney starting to connect the dots.

"So…Jared and Embry…" Paul nodded. Kourtney let out a laugh. She made her way over to a chair and sat down. Paul did he same. He was relieved when she didn't pull away from him when he went to hold her hand.

"So you four are shapeshifters? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yeah. Sam was the first to, uh, become a shapeshifter. Then Jared. Then me."

"Then Embry."

Kourtney thought about the four friends, who once had nothing in common except for the fact that they all were Quileute boys from La Push. They didn't have the same friends, didn't even participate in the same activities. Yet, all of them had similarities with one another.

"Is that why you guys are all so…tall? And…big?"

Paul nodded.

"Those are the first signs. That's why Sam and Jared knew I would be joining their pack soon. It's why I was sick in the beginning of the school year."

"And that's why Embry was sick, too."

"Are you…do you believe me now?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean. I don't know. I don't know what to think right now." Kourtney pulled away from Paul and stood up. She began to pace around the kitchen. "Either you're telling me the truth which means that you want me to believe that werewolves exist, or you're lying to me."

"Why would I lie about this?"

"Because…because something happened with Marianne. Is that it? Are you trying to distract me from something?"

"Kourt, no! That's ridiculous!"

"No, Paul," Kourtney scoffed. "This shapeshifter thing is ridiculous! Were you lying about talking to Marianne?"

"I am not lying about anything!"

Kourtney stared at Paul. From all the years she'd known him, she had never seen him so serious about anything. Then again, she knew he was always good at making up stories cover something up. It was how he got away with late homework and retaking tests. Kourtney didn't know what to believe.

"Okay," Kourtney said. She was starting to feel overwhelmed. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths in hopes to help refocus and re-center herself. After a several breaths she opened her eyes again and nodded. "Okay."

She gave a smile and turned her back on Paul. She went back to preparing her food. Paul sat at the table, not knowing what to say or do.

"Babe," he said.

He stood up and walked over to her. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, preparing for her to push him away at any given moment. She didn't. Paul took that as a good sign. Any reaction, so long as it wasn't her freaking out or pushing him away, was good for him.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" she asked again.

"Wha- Kourtney," he said, turning her around to face her. "Tell me what you're thinking, right now."

"I'm thinking that I'm hungry and that I need to eat something right now. So are you sure you're not hungry?"

Paul dropped his arms to his side.

"I guess I could eat something," Paul told her. He walked back to the table, feeling more confused than anything. He finally told his biggest, most important secret to probably the most important person in his life, and her reaction was nothing like he was expecting. He expected her to either freak out or to accept it, like Kim had with Jared. Right now, Paul wasn't sure which side of the spectrum Kourtney was in; it seemed like she was right on the fence of it all. He watched as Kourtney placed a plate in front of him. He murmured his thanks which she acknowledged with just a nod.

Paul only picked at his food as Kourtney busied herself with hers. He waited for her to finish before bringing up the topic again.

"So are you and Marianne still going to work on that project together?" Kourtney asked before he could mention being a shapeshifter again.

"Uh, I don't know. Babe-"

"You should find out," Kourtney continued. "I mean, it's due in a couple of weeks, so I guess you have time in case you somehow are able to switch partners. Or maybe you can do it on your own and not have to worry about working with Marianne, unless you two are okay with working together. I'm totally okay with you two working together if you two smoothed everything out."

Paul listened as Kourtney rambled on. A part of him felt disheartened. It was obvious that Kourtney was avoiding the subject.

"I'll talk to her," Paul finally said to end her rambling. Kourtney nodded her head. "I, uh, I gotta go. I need to go see… I gotta go do something."

"Oh, okay."

They both stood up and Paul led the way down to the front door. Kourtney had her arms crossed, her mind repeating the conversation she just had with Paul about shapeshifters.

"I'll call you later, yeah?" Kourtney only nodded again. Paul sighed. He opened the door and walked out. It wasn't until Kourtney watched his truck disappear down the road that she realized he didn't kiss her goodbye. Kourtney felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She wondered if he was upset with her, or even angry. IF he was, she wondered why. She wondered if it was because she didn't believe him, or she didn't want to believe him.

Kourtney shook her head. It was an impossible thing to believe. It led Kourtney to believe that something else was going on, possibly with Marianne. However a big part of her screamed at herself for doubting Paul. It seemed believing in shapeshifters was more realistic than believing that Paul would ever hurt her or cheat on her like that. Kourtney's mind seemed to have a dozen different thoughts bounding around in her head, which seemed to overwhelm her even more.

She made her way to the kitchen, ready to busy herself with some cooking. She saw Paul's untouched plate of food. She took it with her to the living room. She settled herself on the couch, determined to find a show to numb her brain for the time being.

.-~*~-.

 _Give her time._

Those were Sam's exact words to Paul. Sam was glad that Paul finally told and he understood Paul's concern over Kourtney's reaction. From his experience, he knew that she just needed time.

Paul laid in bed, looking at his phone. After coming home from his night patrol, he saw that he had received nothing from Kourtney. All night long he thought he could come home to a text or even a voicemail from her, telling him that she finally believed him. He was disappointed to say the least when he saw no notifications. He tossed his phone to the side and sighed. Ever since he told Kourtney, he had an uneasy feeling in his chest. He couldn't take how she seemed on the fence about believing him. It worried him. He wondered if it would be the cause of their imprint bond ending or going back to being friends. Sam assured him that, if anything, the imprint bond would prevent the likelihood of that happening.

 _Give her time_.

Sam's words echoed in his head. Paul yelled into his pillow. He looked at the time and willed for it move faster. He wanted to see his girlfriend and have some reassurance that he wasn't going to lose her. If he did, it would be one more reason to hate being a shapeshifter.

.-~*~-.

The following day, Paul drove to Kourtney's house to pick her up. He felt nervous as he walked up to her house. He was ready to knock when the door opened, revealing Kourtney. She smiled at him, like she usually did.

"Good morning," she greeted, like she usually did. Paul gave her a smile. He reached for her backpack and put his arm around her. He smiled even more when she wrapped her arm around his waist. All the anxiety he felt moments ago disappeared. He was rest assured that he wasn't going to lose Kourtney over his big reveal.

They spent the short ride to school planning out their weekend. The usual dinner at Emily's was already set for Sunday. That left them Saturday to plan out. They reached the school before they could finalize their plans. They both walked hand in hand into the school. The students in the hallway at one point or another, all stared or whispered about Paul and Kourtney. The new rumor was that the two had been together from the start and only faked their relationship with Marianne and Alex.

"So," Paul began when they reached Kourtney's locker. "Have you thought about last night?"

Kourtney froze for a second. Paul looked at her expectantly.

"Um," she said. "I-I didn't."

Paul's face fell.

"I had homework to do and by the time I was done, I was just tired and passed out. So I didn't really have time to think about…what you told me."

Paul nodded. The bell rang and Kourtney placed a kiss on Paul's cheek.

"I'll see you later," she said as she headed to her class.

Paul sighed.

"Time. Give her time," Paul murmured to himself.

.-~*~-.

"What happened yesterday?" Christy asked. The three girls were sitting at their usual table. Christy knew she only had a few until Embry and Paul joined them. "Did Paul tell her off?"

Kourtney gave her a look.

"What? You don't think she deserves to be told off?" Christy asked. "If that had been Derrick she was trying to kiss-"

"Yes, we get it," Kim told her. Kourtney laughed.

"Come on, Kourt! You and Paul are like my romantic comedy that I get to tune into every day."

Kourtney and Kim laughed.

"You have Kim and Jared!"

"They're not all that interesting," Christy said making a face at her cousin.

"Yeah, we're really not," Kim agreed. Honestly, she was thankful for that. She was fine with her dramaless relationship with Jared.

Kourtney gave a dramatic sigh.

"Well, Paul went over to see Marianne to talk things out. She asked if he really did have feelings for me and if there was any way he would change his mind about me," Kourtney said.

"What'd he say?" Kim asked. Due to her dramaless relationship, she was a lot more curious with Kourtney and Paul's like her cousin was. The difference being Kim was less obvious about it

"He told her that I was the one for him."

Christy and Kim let out the loudest squeals that Kourtney ever heard. A few of the tables around them turned to look their way. One look from Christy sent them back to minding their own business.

"You two are the cutest," Christy said. "Don't forget to invite me to the wedding."

Kourtney felt herself blush, causing her two friends to laugh.

"What's going on?" Embry asked as he and Paul arrived at their table.

"Nothing," Kourtney said quickly.

"Sure, I'll believe you," Embry told her. He had a smile on his face and he wriggled his eyebrows before winking.

"Don't mind him," Paul said, taking his place beside his girlfriend.

"I usually don't," Kourtney replied. Paul draped his arm around Kourtney and she placed her hand on his leg.

Lunchtime soon came to an end.

"Heading to the lockers?" Kim asked Kourtney.

"Not today."

"Oh, well, can you walk with me anyway?" Kim asked.

"Sure," Kourtney said. Paul started to walk with them, but Kim gave him a look.

"What?" Kim only continued to look at him. "Fine, I'll see you later babe."

He gave Kourtney a kiss and headed down the other end. Once he turned the corner, though, he stayed put. He was certain he'd be able to hear whatever it was that Kim was trying to keep him from hearing.

"I'm glad that whole Paul and Marianne situation got resolve," Kim said to Kourtney.

"Same here," Kourtney said.

"Then why do you seem like something is bothering you still?" Kourtney was about to deny it. "You can tell me."

"Okay," Kourtney sighed. The two stopped in front of Kim's locker, but she didn't make a move to open it. Kourtney realized it was her way of trying to talk without Paul around. "Well, Paul kind of told me something else last night."

"He did?" Kim asked. She had an idea of what that something was, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Ever since Sam okayed Paul telling Kourtney, Kim had been waiting until she could have someone else to talk to besides Emily, the alpha's imprint. "What was it?"

"He said… He mentioned that he and the other guys, you know, Jared and Embry and Sam, that they," Kourtney stopped. Kim patiently waited. "You know what, never mind. It's nothing. Paul was just…just never mind."

Kim's face fell at the Kourtney's sudden change of mind. She wanted to tell her that she knew too in hope that's Kourtney would open up.

"I'll talk to you later," Kourtney told her.

Paul walked away from his spot down the hall and headed to his class. Even though he was glad Kourtney wasn't acting differently towards him, he was still a bit disappointed that she didn't believe him. It led him to believe that her not believing his story about being a shapeshifter was the only reason she was acting normal.

He was a foot from the doorway to his class when he suddenly turned around and collided with someone.

"Ow! Fuck!"

Paul looked down and saw Marianne on the floor.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" Paul said as he helped her up. Once she was steady on her feet, he bent down to pick up her book and binder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'll live," Marianne said, with a small smile. She grabbed her left arm and winced.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?"

His last question made Marianne laugh.

"I'll be okay, Paul."

She reached for her book and binder, but Paul pulled away.

"I got it," he said, still feeling bad. He motioned for her to go ahead of him and he followed behind. Once inside, he set her book and binder on her desk. He turned around to leave the class but stopped when their teacher walked in. Paul cursed under his breath and sulked to his seat.

Paul zoned out during the entire class and thought about ways to get Kourtney to believe him. Even though it barely had been a day since he told Kourtney, he was too impatient to just give her time to accept it. He waited long enough to tell her about being a shapeshifter. If this was her reaction to that secret, he wondered how she'd react to the subject of imprinting.

"Paul?"

Paul snapped out of his daze and saw Marianne standing in front of him. He looked around, thinking class was over but saw the other students were still seated and grouped together.

"He's letting us time to work on our project." Paul nodded and Marianne took the now empty seat in front of him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Marianne didn't look convinced but said nothing else. After being able to get more done on their project than their initial meeting, Paul started zoning out again. The school bell snapped him out of it again. He packed up his belongings and was one of the last students to exit the classroom.

"Hey," Marianne said, straightening up once she saw him step out of the room. "Are you sure you're okay? You just seemed distracted in there."

"I'm fine," he told her again.

Marianne seemed to hesitate, then she nodded.

"I don't know if this is too soon, but if you ever need to talk…I'm still here for you."

"Thanks, Marianne," Paul said, and he meant it. Although whatever was troubling him now was not something he would ever discuss with her. He headed down the hallway and saw Kourtney who seemed to witness his encounter with Marianne. By the time he reached her, she was busying herself with looking in her locker.

"Babe, we need to talk," Paul said.

"What did she do now?" Kourtney asked automatically.

"What? No, nothing to do with Marianne."

"Then what?"

Paul nodded over to the front of the school.

"You want me to ditch?"

"It's one class," he told her. She gave him a look. "Stop acting like you've never ditched before."

This brought a coy smile on Kourtney's face. She dramatically sighed.

"Fine."

Paul took her hand and the two strolled casually out of the school. Ditching school on the res was always _that_ easy. They headed to Paul's truck. Kourtney buckled her seatbelt and saw that Paul still had to buckle his. He didn't even start the engine.

"Where are we going?" Her question prompted Paul to finally turn the engine and buckle up.

"You'll see," he said. He began the 20 minute drive to Rialto Beach. Once there, he parked and stared out into the ocean. Kourtney, concerned about his odd behavior, unbuckled her seat belt and scooted beside him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Kourt, we gotta talk about what I told you yesterday."

Kourtney gave a small sigh.

"Okay," she said. "Let's talk then."

He turned to look at her.

"Do you believe me?"

Kourtney paused and thought of her words carefully.

"If I came to you and told you that I turned into a wolf, would you believe me?" Kourtney asked.

Paul groaned.

"It's a yes or no question, Kourt!"

"It's not that easy, Paul! I mean, no I don't believe you for the simple fact that people can not turn into wolves just like that!" Paul was not liking how the conversation was going. "But, at the same time, there's a part of me that does. I don't know!"

Paul didn't say a word. His eyes were focused on the waves, hoping it would somewhat calm him down. Having to leave Kourtney because he needed to phase was not something he wanted to do. Then again, there was a chance she'd follow him and 'accidentally' see him phase. Paul shook the thought away. As much as he wanted to show Kourtney so that she'd believe him, he didn't want to risk accidentally hurting her; he'd never forgive himself.

"Why did you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to keep any secrets from you," he told her. "I wanted to be open and honest with you. All the times you questioned me about why I always ditched or why I was up late at night, I wanted to be able to tell you the truth rather than lying or evading the question."

"Okay, well, now I know. I won't ask you those questions anymore."

"Babe it's not just that!" He turned to her. "Being a shapeshifter is my life now! It's why I couldn't play football anymore. I could seriously hurt someone. It's why I stopped hanging with my friends. I couldn't risk them knowing or finding out about me and the pack. It's why I can't even think about my future and picture myself leaving the res!"

"That's why you gave up on your college plans?"

"I can't leave the res," he repeated.

"Like ever?"

Paul sighed.

"I don't know. Babe, the point is: being a shapeshifter is a part of me now. I wanted you to know that."

Kourtney slowly nodded her head. She was touched by his sentiment. She leaned over and hugged him.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. She waited until he finally wrapped his arms around her, too. She leaned away so she could look him in the eye. "It's just really…unbelievable."

"Try living it," Paul joked. Kourtney laughed.

"I appreciate you being honest with me. It's just really overwhelming and it's literally been a day since you told me and it still hasn't really sunk in yet."

"I know."

"Just give me some time," Kourtney told him. Paul laughed.

"That's what Sam told me. To give you time."

"So, he knows that I know, now?"

"I think pretty much everybody does. Emily would definitely know for sure. Jared and Embry, too. Maybe even Kim. I don't know if Jared told her or not. She might have an idea that you do." Paul shrugged.

Kourtney nodded.

"I'm surprised Embry didn't say anything today," she said.

"Well, it's a delicate subject matter. Especially with how you reacted, Sam told him to behave so he wouldn't freak you out even more."

"That was nice of Sam. Tell him it's very much appreciated."

"You know how Embry can be." Kourtney laughed.

"I do." Paul took her hand and placed a kiss on it.

"So you don't have anything you want to ask me about being a shapeshifter?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Not at the moment. I still need more time to wrap my head around it all." Paul nodded. It was a fair request, yet his fear of her changing her mind about him still clouded his mind.

" I was just anxious about how you reacted. I thought that…"

"That what?"

"That it was a dealbreaker for you," he finished softly.

Kourtney's heart seemed to swell at hearing that he was scared of losing her again. He did have a point: she was continuously running away once a problem arose. She promised him she wouldn't, yet he was still on guard.

"It's not," she told him. "You're stuck with me for the rest of the year, remember? After that, maybe I'll reconsider."

Paul laughed.

"Okay, so I got you all to myself until New Year. I'll keep that in mind," he said, finally relaxing. Kourtney smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "And take all the time you need. I'm just glad you know now."

He meant the words, but also hoped she wouldn't take too long. He was feeling a lot better thought, now that he knew she had no intention of leaving him.

.-~*~-.

Sunday evening came around and Emily's house was filled with the usual guests, minus Paul who was still on patrol.

Dinner was still in the oven and everyone was gathered in the living room with the TV on but no one was actually paying attention.

"So the topic of us being shapeshifters is still off the table?" Jared asked Sam, who nodded. "Even though Paul already told her that we were shapeshifters?"

"Yeah, but she still doesn't believe him," Embry said.

"No, from what I've heard she does," Emily inputted. "She just needs time."

Jared scrunched his face in confusion.

"Time for what?"

"To take in everything," Emily said.

"What's there to take in? We're shapeshifters!"

Everyone looked at Jared.

"What?"

"Stop being ridiculous," Kim told her. "Hearing that your boyfriend is a shapeshifter is a lot to take in."

"You took it pretty well," Jared reminded her.

"I didn't," Emily said.

"But you came around," Sam added. "Just like Kourtney will. So with that being said, no mentioning of the pack unless she talks about it first."

"What if we just want to discuss the legend of Taha-"

"No, Embry!" Sam cried. "Besides you're taking over Paul's patrol when he comes back."

Embry groaned.

"I always miss out on the fun!"

"You're not gonna miss out on anything," Kim said.

"He wanted to scare Kourtney," Jared told them. Embry shot him a glare. "What? Alpha orders, bro. Try breaking it. Besides Paul will kick your ass if you did anything to Kourt."

Embry was about to argue when the sound of the front door opening caught their attention. A few seconds later, Paul walked into the room. They all greeted him.

"Where's Kourtney?" Paul asked.

Everyone looked at one another.

"Uh, not here," Jared said. "Aren't you picking her up?"

"No, I told her I'd meet her here," Paul said. He looked at the clock on the wall. "I told her five o'clock."

Everyone glanced at the clock; it was already nearing six.

"Are you sure you aren't supposed to pick her up?" Emily asked. "Maybe she's waiting for you at her house."

Paul nodded, trying to remember if that was what he told her. He headed to the table where they kept their phones and wallets while they patrolled. He turned on the screen and frowned when he saw no text or calls from Kourtney. He dialed her number. He was aware that everyone was quiet and listening in. Even if he did leave the room or even the house, he still wouldn't have the privacy he wanted.

"Hey, babe," he said once Kourtney answered. "Where are you?"

" _I'm at home."_

"Everything okay? Was I supposed to pick you up?"

" _Uh, no. I forgot to call you earlier. I wasn't sure if you'd have your phone on you, but I don't think I can make it tonight_."

"What?" Paul asked. "Why not?"

"Embry, you need to go patrol now," Sam said.

"Wait, I want to hear-"

"Now, Embry!" The teen groaned and stood up. He tried to walk slowly to hear the rest of the conversation.

" _I just have a lot of work to do tonight. I also have that job interview tomorrow for River's Edge-"_

"Babe, you got that job! The interview is just some formality."

" _I just want to be prepared,"_ Kourtney insisted. _"I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow though."_

"Alright," Paul said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Paul plopped himself down on the couch where Embry had been sitting.

"Sorry, bro," Jared said. Paul only shrugged.

"Don't worry Paul," Sam reassured. "It took Emily almost two weeks to come around. It's only been a few days."

Paul nodded.

"Come on, guys," Emily said, clapping her hands. "It's time to eat!"

.-~*~-.

Paul was at his locker by himself again. For the past few days, Kourtney had been spending less time at the lockers with him to hurry to class. Aside from that, everything was normal between them. However, Kourtney had yet to mention him being a shapeshifter. As much as it frustrated Paul, he tried to keep his frustrations down. Sam had to repeatedly remind him to be patient and wait. Obviously, patience was something Paul had to work on.

"Hey, Paul."

"Hey, Marianne," Paul said.

Ever since their talk from the week before, it seemed like things between him and Marianne were somewhat better. Although she avoided Kourtney at all costs, she still managed to greet him from time to time. Being partners for their project also helped since they spent class time actually talking now.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to invite you to this party I'm having," Marianne told him.

"No thanks," Paul said. "I haven't been to a party in a while. Not really my thing anymore."

"You don't have to drink or anything! Just hang out! It's for Brian's birthday."

Paul laughed.

"Brian and I aren't exactly friends anymore. I doubt he'd want me there."

"Maybe you two and work things out. I mean, you and I did," Marianne said.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?"

Paul and Marianne looked down the hallway and saw a young teen holding a bottle of juice with its contents spilled all over his shirt.

"Learn how to walk and drink right, Sethie," Brian said.

"Yeah, I'll pass on that," Paul said.

"You can bring Kourtney! I was thinking about inviting her…"

Paul was surprised at the information.

"That's, uh, nice of you, Marianne," he told her. "But I'm pretty sure Kourtney's gonna pass too."

"Well, if you change your mind, just let me know."

Paul nodded and Marianne took her cue to leave.

"What was that about?" Kourtney asked, suddenly appearing beside Paul.

"Babe, I thought you were headed to class," Paul said.

"I forgot something," she said pointing to the binder in her hand. "What did she want?"

"She was just inviting us to a party for Brian's birthday."

"Oh yeah, his birthday is this Friday," Kourtney said.

"I hope you don't mind, I told her we'd pass."

Kourtney nodded.

"It's probably for the best. Especially if it's Brian's birthday party," Kourtney said. "Everyone's gonna be drowning in alcohol."

Paul laughed. He closed his locker and brought Kourtney closer to him. She tiptoed to give him a kiss.

"So instead of getting drunk and wasted this Friday, what are we doing?"

"I know what I'll be doing," Paul said. "I'll be busy patrolling."

"Right," Kourtney said. She stepped back. "Alright, I'll see you later."

"Kourt," Paul sighed.

"What?"

"It's been a week."

"I know, okay? What else do you want me to say?"

Paul shook his head knowing that an argument was bound to happen if he kept the conversation going.

"Nothing," he said. "I'll see you later."

He shut his locker and headed out the front doors of the school. He didn't feel the need to phase, but he did just want some time to run and clear his head.

 _What's wrong?_ Sam asked the second he felt Paul phase.

 _Just need to clear my head_ , Paul replied as he simultaneously showed Sam his conversation with Kourtney.

 _Paul, what part of give her some time do you not understand?_

 _It's been a week!_

 _You've been asking her almost every single day!_ Sam could feel Paul's frustration start to turn into anger. _I'll talk to her after school._

Once three o'clock rolled around, Sam made his way towards Emily's house. When he was within good distance, he phased back into his human self. After dressing into the clothes he hid, he went to see Emily before getting into his car to drive to Kourtney's. As he approached her house, Paul passed by in his black truck. He gave him a nod. Paul insisted on being there when he spoke with Kourtney, but Sam knew it would've made things worse.

After parking, he took a few minutes to think over what he would say. He kept in mind a list of the important points he had to get across. When he was sure he was ready, he hopped out of his car and headed towards the house. He knocked at the door and waited patiently.

"Hey, Sam?" Kourtney said uncertainly when she opened the door.

"Hello, Kourtney," he greeted, giving her a smile.

"Uh, Paul's not here. He left a few minutes ago."

"I know. I'm actually here to see you." Surprise crossed Kourtney's face. "Any chance we can talk?"

Kourtney nodded and opened the door.

"Out here is fine," Sam said.

He sat himself on the first step and Kourtney joined him.

"I know Paul told you about us." Kourtney gave him a blank look. "About us being shapeshifters?"

Kourtney sighed. She rested her head on her hands.

"Kourtney, I know it's hard to take in." Kourtney nodded. "And I know Paul hasn't exactly been patient with you." Kourtney let out a small laugh and nodded again. "He just really wants you to believe him."

"I do," Kourtney said.

"You do?"

"I mean, a part of me does. Like there's this small part of me that automatically just accepted what Paul said."

Sam nodded. It was the imprint bond.

"And the other part of you?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Is this real?" she asked. "The other part of me thinks that it's just absolutely crazy! It's not possible!"

"It is very much possible," Sam told her. "Trust me. We are reminded of it each and every day."

Kourtney stood up and began to pace the length of the porch. Sam eventually stood up and leaned against the railing. He watched as Kourtney walked from one end of the porch to the other. Her hands and arms constantly changing positions. First they were on her hips, then they were crossed.

Sam laughed causing Kourtney to stop and look at him.

"Sorry, it's just how you're reacting now reminds me of how Emily first reacted."

"Emily? She's one too?" Kourtney asked.

Sam laughed.

"No, she's not. She's…" Sam stopped, wondering if he had the right to let her in about imprinting. If he did, there was a chance that Kourtney could connect the dots herself and figure out that she was Paul's imprint. Sam decided to leave it to Paul to tell her. Sam sighed. It took Paul a couple months to tell Kourtney about being a shapeshifter, he wondered how many more it would take for Paul to tell her about imprinting.

"She's what?"

"She's my fiancé, so of course I wanted to tell her about me being a shapeshifter."

"Why did Paul tell me? I'm not his fiancé. I'm nowhere near being his fiancé. I mean, we just started dating."

"He trusts you. When he asked for my permission to let him tell you, he said he wanted you to fully trust him and he didn't want to hide it from you any longer. I'm sure you've asked your fair share of questions and have only gotten vague answers from him." Kourtney nodded. "It's because the answers were all related to him being a shapeshifter."

"Like…patrolling, right?" Sam nodded. "What do you patrol for?"

"I'm sure you have a lot more questions for us," Sam said instead. "We're having a bon fire tonight with the council. It'll just be us and those who know about us. It's our type of meeting, I guess you can say. You're more than welcome to come and just...talk freely about us. Ask us any questions. I think you'll enjoy it. Plus, Emily and Kim have been dying to finally get to talk to you about us wolves."

"Yeah, sure. That sounds like something that I could benefit from," Kourtney agreed.

"Great! I'm sure Paul will be happy to see you there." Kourtney smiled. "He really likes you, you know."

"I really like him, too," Kourtney admitted.

"I won't tell Cody," Sam joked, giving her a wink.

Kourtney laughed.

"Anyway, bring yourself and any questions you have over to First Beach tonight. We usually try to start around six."

"Okay, I'll see you then!"

After Sam left, Kourtney sat on her bed with her notebook in front of her. She did as Sam suggested and began to write questions that she had. She got down to 14 questions when she leaned back on her bed. She ran down through the list and when she finished, she dropped the notebook on her bed.

Kourtney couldn't believe that she just spent an hour writing down questions about shapeshifters. She pictured how she would ask her questions. She wondered if it was a formal meeting. After all, the council was going to be there. She knew for sure that Old Quil would be there. She looked over at her window. The thought of Old Quil knowing about the existence of shapeshifters for who knows how long made Kourtney feel uneasy. She thought back to all the times that Paul had been over. Then she remembered the night when Paul broke Alex's nose. Old Quil had been out there. He was the one who told her dad that Paul and Alex were just being high school boys. He reassured her dad that Sam had taken care of the situation. Kourtney wondered if he was trying to protect Paul.

She began to think about all the times she had been with Paul, Jared, and Embry. She tried to see if she could remember anything that would have hinted at them being shapeshifters. Kourtney suddenly glanced over at nightstand. It was where she kept the little wolf stuffed animal that Jared got for her. She wondered if that was on purpose. The others did seem to get a kick from it when she revealed what his present was.

Kourtney looked at the time and saw that it was nearing six. She started to get nervous. She was starting to rethink about going to the bonfire. Kourtney knew she had to go. She did tell Sam she would. She did have questions she wanted answered and she did want to finally get some hard evidence that shapeshifters were real. Going to the bon fire would be a good thing for her, she decided. However, when six o'clock rolled around, Kourtney was enjoying a nice hot bath.

Once she was out, Kourtney took her time with changing into a new set of pajamas. She slowly combed her hair and styled it into a single braid. It was nearing 8 when Kourtney decided to turn on her cell phone again. She wasn't surprised when texts flooded her phone, mostly from Paul with one or two from Sam and Kim.

She read the last text that Paul sent just as she heard knocking downstairs. She knew it was him. Kourtney descended to the first floor and headed to the front.

"Hi," she said once she opened the door to an emotionless Paul.

"Why didn't you go?" Paul asked, not even returning a greeting.

"I changed my mind."

"Everyone was expecting you. Emily and Kim were excited that you were gonna come to your first bon fire with us."

"I'm sorry, I just chickened out last minute, okay?"

"There's nothing to be scared of," Paul told her.

"You turn into wolves!"

"You're scared of me?"

"No! Not you, just the fact that you change into a wolf! It's…it's not normal!"

"So you think I'm a freak?"

"No! Ugh," Kourtney was getting frustrated. "It's just what you told me…it's kind of overwhelming Paul!"

"Yes, like you've told me many times! If you had gone tonight, you could've talked to a lot of people who could've helped make it less overwhelming!"

"I'm sorry," Kourtney said.

Paul shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry I even told you," he said. "I'm sorry that I overwhelmed you with this."

"Baby-"

"I gotta go. I'll just see you tomorrow," Paul told her. He turned to leave without giving her a kiss.

* * *

 **AN:** Apologies for the long wait! I hope you enjoyed!


	29. Chapter 29

There was an awkward tension between Kourtney and Paul the following morning. Kourtney, expecting Paul to still be upset with her, was surprised when Paul picked her up in a good mood. He greeted her with a kiss and was quite affectionate with her all throughout school. While she enjoyed the loving attention, she couldn't help but wonder why his mood suddenly changed from the night before. There were many times when Kourtney wanted to ask, but she knew it would eventually venture into the territory of him telling her his secret. It was a subject she wanted to avoid for the time being. She knew it was hard on Paul when he desperately wanted her to believe him, but she didn't know how. Even if she told him she believed, it would've been a lie.

School passed quickly without another mention of shapeshifters. Paul pulled up to Kourtney's house. He walked her up to the door. Kourtney unlocked the front door and stepped inside. She turned to find Paul still out on the porch.

"Not coming in?" Kourtney asked.

"No, I got patr-uh, I got something to do," Paul said catching himself. Kourtney nodded.

"Uh, when will you be done with…what you have to do?"

"Not till later on tonight."

Kourtney nodded again.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Paul told her as he stepped closer and gave her a kiss. Kourtney watched as he walked down to his truck. She only went inside once his truck disappeared down the road.

.-~*~-.

"Dad?" Kourtney called.

The smell of blueberry pancakes was the only indication she needed to know that her dad was finally home. She hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found her dad enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Blueberry pancakes?" he asked with a smile.

"Dad! You're home!" Kourtney ran to him and hugged him.

"Hi sweetheart! Did you miss me?" he laughed.

Kourtney took the seat next to him and started helping herself to some pancakes.

"When'd you get in?"

"Just a little earlier this morning. Chief Swan was kind enough to give me a ride from Forks."

"How was Miami?"

"Sunny, hot, and everything else that Washington isn't right now," he said.

"So I take it, you enjoyed it."

"Immensely. I'm sure you'd like it there, too. You can finally go to a real beach with sun and not have to worry about freezing to death."

Kourtney laughed.

"Cody keeps asking if you've heard from Miami University yet."

Kourtney shook her head.

"He says you haven't returned any of his calls or texts."

"I don't have anything to say to him and I don't really have time to listen to his lecture."

Jerry nodded. He knew about his son's dislike towards Kourtney's budding relationship with Paul Lahote.

"Paul's a nice guy. A little bit misguided, but it seems he's changed."

"He has!"

"I know sweetheart," Jerry smiled, noticing how defensive Kourtney got. "I hadn't had to arrest him since May of last year."

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Do you have plans with him today?"

"No," Kourtney quickly replied.

In all honesty, she didn't. She did know, however, that he would most likely want to see her that day despite the tension between them.

"You have plans today?"

"Just thinking about hanging out around the house. Maybe just relax," her dad said.

"Relax? Because a two, almost three week vacation in Miami was just so taxing, right?"

Jerry laughed. He missed his daughter.

"Let's go watch a movie! Or maybe we can jog down the beach and then catch a movie. Then we can have lunch at the diner in Forks. Or maybe we should just go to Port Angeles and spend the day there!"

"I'm not one to complain when my daughter wants to spend the whole entire day with me, but I'm sure you want to hang out with your friends, right?"

"No, I didn't make any plans with them."

"It's still early. I'm pretty sure young Lahote is probably sleeping in."

"It's fine. He'll understand," Kourtney insisted. She was hoping she'd have an excuse to give to Paul to avoid seeing him that day. Kourtney put her hands together and gave her best puppy dog eyes and pout. "Please? Let's do a father daughter day today! I missed you!"

"Alright, alright," Jerry chuckled. "A nice morning jog by the beach might help me wake up better than this coffee. But I get to pick the movie!"

"Deal!"

Several hours later, Kourtney plopped down on the couch while her dad took the recliner. They'd just arrive from their day at Port Angeles. Jerry was glad to finally be home. Not that he didn't enjoy his father daughter day with Kourtney, he just really wanted to sit in his recliner and be lazy for the remainder of the day. He flipped through the channels, knowing full well he would eventually just fall asleep once he settled on a show. He glanced over at his daughter who sat with feet up on the coffee table. Her arms were crossed and she stared at the TV. Her phone suddenly vibrated on the coffee table. She grabbed it before it could vibrate off the table and onto the ground. Jerry watched her look at her screen then bite her lip nervously. Her thumbs moved rapidly across the cell phone screen. Then she placed the phone underneath one of the couch pillows.

He noticed that she had the same look on her face whenever her phone got a text message. It made him wonder what was going on.

"Everything alright honey? It looks like something is on your mind."

"It's nothing," Kourtney replied.

"It's something if it's distracting you. What is it?" When she didn't answer, he continued to prod. "Are you and Paul okay?"

She nodded.

"Then what is it, sweetie? You know I'm gonna keep asking so you might as well tell me something."

Kourtney sighed.

"It's nothing big." Kourtney bit her lip again. She sat up straight and turned her body towards her dad. "But I do want to ask you about something. Totally unrelated to what's bothering me. But…do you remember the legends?"

"The legends?" Jerry asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, you know how we would always go to the bonfires and Old Quil would tell us about the legends." Jerry nodded. "Do you remember them?"

"Vaguely," her dad laughed. "Although I do remember one really well."

"Which one?"

"The Legend of Taha Aki and the Spirit Warriors." Kourtney felt a chill ran down her spine. "It was always my favorite." Jerry saw the look on Kourtney's face. It was as though she had seen a ghost or something. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, it suddenly got chilly in here. Do you think you can tell me about it? The Legend of Taha Aki and the…Spirit Warriors?"

"You do know that Old Quil is our next door neighbor, right?" Jerry asked. "I'm sure he won't mind having you over so he can tell you. He loves recounting that legend."

"Nah, it's okay," Kourtney said. She stood up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna go and nap."

A faint vibrating sound was heard. Kourtney took the phone from under the pillow. Jerry took the time to study her again. This time, Kourtney turned off the display screen and put away her phone.

"Honey," Jerry called, making her stop and look at him. "If you don't want to go and see Old Quil, I do remember having a book with all of our legends in it. It's in one of the boxes in the garage."

"There are a lot of boxes in the garage," Kourtney said. "It's okay. It's not that important right now."

Before Jerry could ask the reason for her sudden interest in the legends, Kourtney walked out of the living room and bounded up to her room. His conversation with Kourtney brought back the memories of going to the bon fire when he was a young boy. He remembered always playing in the forest with his friends, pretending to be Spirit Warriors, protecting their home and people from the Cold Ones. Then he remembered a particular memory that he always treasured and only shared with his good friend Billy Black. It was the day that they both saw Ephraim Black turn into a wolf. The day he saw a real life Spirit Warrior.

.-~*~-.

Sunday night quickly came and Kourtney found herself in Emily's house for the usual dinner. She debated all day whether or not to go, but since she was starting her job at River's Edge on Monday, she knew she'd be too busy to see Paul. As much as she wanted to avoid seeing him just to avoid the dreaded shapeshifter talk, she knew she had to make an effort to at least see him. Hearing about his secret life as a shapeshifter didn't make her like him any less. She really was just having a hard time processing it.

She quickly looked around the table. Sam sat in his usual chair at the head of the table, with Emily to his right. She saw that their hands were clasped together and rested on the table. Emily was telling Sam something and his eyes were on her and fully focused. He smiled as Emily laughed.

Kourtney looked towards her other side where Jared and Kim sat. As usual, the couple was seated closely together with Jared's arm draped across Kim's shoulder. He placed a kiss on her cheek before sitting back in his chair and giving out a big burp.

"Jared!" Kim and Emily cried at the same time.

"Excuse me," Jared said. He caught Kourtney's eye and smiled at her. "What's with you, Hunt? I'm not used to you being quiet."

"Just…distracted," Kourtney told him with a small smile.

"You worried about your first day of work tomorrow?" he asked. "Don't be! It's a cinch! Take people's orders, take their orders to the kitchen, serve their orders. Just don't mess it up!"

"Thanks, I'll try and remember that."

She felt Paul place his hand on her leg. She looked over at him and she could see concern in his eyes. Whether he was concerned over her being nervous or something else, she didn't know. Kourtney gave him a smile and squeezed his hand to assure him that she was fine.

"Why am I always stuck patrolling on Sundays?" Embry called out as he came in through the door. It was only then that she realized why Embry was always late to Sunday dinners.

"Cause you're the newbie," Jared said. "At least leeches always take Sundays off."

Kourtney looked at Jared when he mentioned the word leeches. She was ready to question what he meant, but Jared saw her stare then looked at Paul. Kourtney did the same and saw that Paul was glaring at Jared.

"Emily, you got dessert?" Jared asked quickly.

Kourtney decided against questioning what a leech was. It seemed as though Paul didn't want her to know. Or maybe Jared said something that he wasn't supposed to in front of her. She wondered why Emily and Kim didn't have the same reaction.

"You wanna stay a little longer?" Paul asked. "I know you said you wanted to sleep a little early tonight since you have a longer day tomorrow."

"Since when do you skip out on dessert?" Kourtney asked him with a smile. Paul smiled back.

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't in a rush to go home."

"I'm fine," she told him, squeezing his hand again. Paul brought her hand up and gave it a kiss.

.-~*~-.

The week flew by quickly for Kourtney. Her usual morning routine didn't change. Paul still picked her up for school. Once after school came around, Paul dropped her off at the restaurant before heading to where he needed to go. Even though the restaurant closed at 9, Kourtney wouldn't get home until after 10. By the third day, Kourtney knew that there was no point in trying to stay up to finish schoolwork; she would just pass out from the exhaustion. Pretty soon, Kourtney got in the habit of finishing up her school work while in school, whether it was during lunch, during the short five minutes breaks, or even during other classes. Needless to say, it was taking up time that she could've spent with Paul.

Kourtney was sure that she could make it up to him when she had her day off, but instead, she ended up falling asleep on his shoulder at Emily's.

Now, the weekend was starting and Kourtney experienced working her first Saturday at River's Edge. It was a lot chaotic than all the other nights she worked. By the time she got home, she wanted nothing but a hot bath and to fall asleep in her warm bed. But as she walked up the pathway, her mood already dampened even more than it was already. She could hear her parents' voices. By now she was sure their side neighbors knew that they were having problems. Kourtney slowly opened the door and closed it behind her. She crept up the stairs, not wanting to be noticed. She got to her room and sunk down to the floor. It seemed that hearing her parents argue intensified her exhaustion. She wished that she was anywhere but home.

Looking at the time, she knew that Paul was busy with his patrol. The thought of her boyfriend just brought her down even more. She missed him even though she just saw him earlier before her shift. She missed spending actual time with him. She missed talking with him and just being with him. Her new schedule only added strain to their already tensed relationship. Since they barely had time to sit down and really talk, the topic of shapeshifters was eventually pushed to the back burner. Paul seemed to finally give up on trying to convince her and she knew he even went as far as to hide where he was going. But she knew. She knew he had patrolling to do, whatever that entailed.

A part of her blamed herself. Paul was nothing short of supportive the past week. He didn't even complain when she slept through her day off, the day that she was supposed to spend with him. Instead, he just let her sleep while he watched Embry play video games at Emily's house. Never once did he complain about barely seeing her. Instead, he did what he could to ease the burden that she took upon herself.

Kourtney decided right then and there that she wasn't so deserving of Paul. After everything that he went through to try and be with her; she couldn't even be half as supportive as he was. Then again…believing that he turned into a wolf… Kourtney shook her head and sighed.

Downstairs, her parents' argument got even louder. Kourtney stood up and opened her door than slammed it shut, hoping having her home would make them stop.

"Kourtney?" she heard her dad call.

She didn't reply. Instead she dragged herself to her bathroom and turned on the water. She could hear knocking on her bedroom door but she ignored it. She undressed and submersed herself into the bath tub. She stayed that way until she felt her fingers start to wrinkle. She got out and headed to her room to change. She let out a bitter laugh when she heard her parents still arguing. Their voices were lowered but she could still hear their tone.

Kourtney changed in her pajamas and headed into bed. She turned her cellphone on, wanting to talk to Paul. She knew she couldn't. He was probably without his cellphone at the moment. Kourtney looked at the picture of her and Paul on her display screen. Her heart ached for him again. She placed her phone down, ready to will herself to sleep when her phone began to vibrate.

Upon seeing the picture of Paul take up her cell phone screen, Kourtney smiled. Her heart swelled with happiness and she felt tears prickle her eyes.

"Hello," she answered.

" _Hey babe,_ " he said. Relief washed over her upon hearing his voice.

"Hi."

" _What's wrong?_ "

Kourtney felt her lip quiver as the tears fell down her cheeks.

"Nothing."

" _Kourt, I know something is wrong_."

Kourtney sighed.

"I'm just…tired. And…I miss you. I feel like I barely saw you all week."

" _I know what you mean_. _I got a bit of time before I need to meet with Jared."_

"Now's not a good time." Paul knew she meant her parents were probably fighting again. He sighed.

" _I can pick you up?"_

"I would love that, but I really am tired. Busy day today. But I'm off tomorrow! Maybe we can get breakfast-"

" _I have to do something tomorrow morning. I won't be free until the afternoon._ "

Kourtney closed her eyes. Patrol.

"You can't take a break or something?"

Paul laughed.

" _No_."

"Sorry, I don't really know how this whole shapeshifting patrolling thing works."

Paul's side of the line got quiet. It was the first time that Kourtney mentioned, or even said the word shapeshifting. Rather than asking if she finally was starting to come around, Paul decided to just go along with it.

" _Maybe tomorrow I can tell you more about it,_ " Paul suggested.

Kourtney bit her lip. It was her chance to be a better girlfriend. She had to make an effort, especially on something important to him.

"Yeah, I guess I should learn more about where you go off to and what you do during odd hours throughout the day."

Paul laughed. It was a happy, amused laughed. It made Kourtney happy.

" _Works for me. Are you sure you're okay?"_

"I'm good now. I just can't wait to see you tomorrow."

" _I know. I'll see you, babe._ "

.-~*~-.

Kourtney woke up the following morning with her body aching. She wasn't prepared for how beat up her body would feel after being up on her feet all day. She took her time with her morning routine before heading downstairs. She smelled coffee and knew that her dad was up.

"Morning," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Hungry? I can make some bacon and eggs for you." Kourtney only shook her head. She wasn't hungry at all.

"Where's mom?" Kourtney dared to ask. She wouldn't admit, not even to Paul or herself, but each day she worried that one of her parents would just pack up and leave without a word.

"Your mother went to Port Angeles for the day," he told her.

"Oh," Kourtney replied. Jerry caught the disappointment in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just Mom told me she'd take me shopping next time she went to Port Angeles."

Jerry nodded, trying not to look annoyed with his wife.

"I'm headed to Forks if you want to hang out with your good ol' dad today. I'm meeting with Billy and Charlie Swan. After that we can go watch a movie or something. Another father daughter day?"

"No thanks, Dad," Kourtney said. "You have your bonding time with your friends."

Jerry chuckled.

"No plans today?"

"I'm just meeting with Paul later. Probably hang out at Emily's again."

"Well you have fun, honey. Rough week with work and school?" Kourtney needed. "It starts all over again tomorrow." He smiled as Kourtney groaned with annoyance. "Make the most of today."

With that, Jerry left the kitchen to get ready for his day. Kourtney trudged back up to her room and hid under her covers again. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and she welcomed the extra sleep.

"Kourtney?"

Kourtney woke up with a start.

"Sorry honey, just wanted to let you know I'm leaving now. I'll be back home later. I don't know what time you're mother's coming home."

Kourtney nodded her understand. Her dad placed a kissed on her head before leaving her room. Kourtney looked at the time and saw that it was nearing ten. Feeling her stomach rumble, Kourtney finally decided to get her day started.

Kourtney was quick to finish her breakfast. After washing her dishes and putting it away, she settled into the living room. She wondered how she should pass the time waiting for Paul to get off his patrol. As usual, Kourtney wondered what patrol really meant to him as a shapeshifter. To her patrol meant what her dad did on most of his nights or days of working. Driving around, patrolling around the res and even the surrounding areas. She wondered what they patrolled for.

She got up from her place on the couch and headed to the garage. She saw almost a dozen boxes all stacked neatly. Fortunately, some of the boxes were labeled. Kourtney got to work with moving the boxes she knew she didn't have to look into. After rearranging the boxes, she was left with only four boxes to look through. She made quick work of going through them. She hit the jackpot when she opened up the third box and saw books all strategically placed inside. She took great care when taking out the books. It was only when she got to the bottom of the box that she was able to find the book she was looking for.

After finally retrieving the book, Kourtney opened it and began to flip through the pages. Not finding the legend she wanted, she went back to the beginning of the book. This time, she slowly turned the pages.

"Yes!" Kourtney cried when she got to the right page. She headed up to her room so she could lay in her bed as she read up on what seemed to be the most important legend. As she got comfortable on her bed, the flashing light on her cell phone caught her eye. Kourtney knew it was a missed call from the red color of the light. Expecting it to be from Paul, Kourtney was surprised to see it being from Emily. She quickly hit the call back button.

" _Hello?"_

"Hi, Emily! It's Kourtney. Did you call me?"

" _Hi Kourtney! Yes, I called to ask you if you can come over to help me and Kim with the cooking. It's pretty warm out so we're thinking of heading to the beach today to change things up."_

"Yeah, I can do that," Kourtney agreed. "What time do you need me there?"

" _Noon is good._ "

"I'll see you then."

After ending the call, Kourtney glanced at the clock. It was a quarter past eleven. Flipping the pages, she saw that the legend of Taha Aki and the Spirit Warriors was only several pages long. She was certain she could finish it before she had to get ready.

As she settled in to read, her phone began to ring. It was her mom. Kourtney sighed and answered.

" _Hi sweetie, I'm here at the mall. I know you wanted to come with me, but I didn't want to wake you._ "

"It's okay," Kourtney said.

" _What did you want from here?"_

"It's okay, Mom. I'll go shopping some other time. Don't worry about it."

" _Let me at least get you one thing to make up for not waking you,"_ her mom said. " _They're having a shoe sale!"_

Kourtney laughed. Her mother knew her weakness.

"I could use some new shoes," Kourtney said. "Preferably some wedges. The higher, the better."

Kourtney was thinking about the height difference between her and Paul. He was a good foot taller than her and she was constantly feeling so small next to him. Paul didn't seem to mind. He thought it was cute that she was so small, petite.

" _I'll see what I can find,_ " her mother said. _"Keep an ear out for your phone. I'll send you pictures."_

Kourtney agreed. She tossed her phone to the side after saying bye. Glancing at the clock, she realized that she no longer had enough time to read. Kourtney placed the book gently on her nightstand and started getting ready. By the time she was dressed and had her beach bag packed, it was already twelve. She hurried down the stairs and out of the house.

After making sure that the door was locked, Kourtney bounded down the porch steps. She slowed when she saw Quil walking, head down, shoulders slumped, towards his house.

"Hey, neighbor!" she cried.

"Hey," he replied, glumly.

Kourtney headed over to the fence and Quil met her on his side.

"What's up? Everything okay?"

Quil was usually a pretty happy and upbeat guy, and it concerned Kourtney to see him unlike his usual self.

"Just walking back from Jacob's."

"That's a long walk."

Quil nodded.

"My grandpa and Sam were there. They said they had matters to discuss with Jacob and his dad and they sent me away."

"So?" Kourtney shrugged. "Old Quil is head of the council and isn't Billy on the council too?"

"Why do Sam and Jacob have to be there then?" Kourtney had no answer. "You know Jacob's taller now. Like Embry's height, maybe even taller."

"Growth spurts happen."

"If Jake ends up getting sick then he was right. It's what happened with Embry," Quil said sadly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Embry got a growth spurt and then he got sick. Then he started hanging with your boyfriend."

Kourtney thought back to what Paul told her about signs of someone becoming a shapeshifter. Kourtney realized why Paul started acting weird the last time they saw Jacob. She wondered if Paul saw the signs, too.

"Are you okay, Kourt?"

"I'm fine," she said. She put on a smile for him. "Jacob's fine. Everything is going to be fine!"

Quil looked skeptical.

"Look, Quil, whatever happens…I'm here for you, okay? Don't forget that! I'm only one windowsill away!" Kourtney laughed, hoping it would get him to laugh as well. It didn't. All it got her was a half-hearted smile.

"Thanks, Kourtney." Quil turned to leave then stopped. "Have you been crying?"

"What?"

"Your eyes are puffy. Were you crying? Did you and Paul get into a fight?"

Kourtney chuckled.

"You are very observant. But, no we did not get into a fight. I'm fine. I just bit off more than I could chew with school and now a job. By the time I get home at night, I practically just pass out. And at school I'm trying to keep awake all while trying to get ahead on my homework. Then there's the matter of spending actual quality time with Paul." Kourtney sighed and brought her hands up to her hand. "You know, on my first day off I went to Emily's with Paul and fell asleep! I doubt that counts as spending time with my boyfriend. But he didn't complain! Because he's a good boyfriend like that. And I suck as a girlfriend because I'm selfish."

Quil stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Sorry! I just needed to vent," Kourtney explained. Quil nodded.

"Maybe I should get a job so I can keep myself busy. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'll be a loner soon enough." Kourtney rolled her eyes. "Is the River's Edge hiring still?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"I could ask for you."

"Thanks! Now, you think you can help me find a girlfriend? I could use the company."

"You're being ridiculous! Hop on over!"

Kourtney motioned for him to follow her. She made her way back to her porch and sat down. She set her beach bag down at her feet. She patted the spot next to her and Quil eventually sat down.

"So, do you really think that Jacob is going to ditch you?"

Quil nodded.

"The exact same thing happened with Embry. Didn't you notice that same things with Paul?"

"Uh, no," Kourtney said. "But we're focusing on you right now! Stop changing the subject! Look, let's just say if for whatever reason Jacob does ditch you, maybe it's for a good reason."

"Like joining Sam's gang?" Kourtney bit her lip, making sure she didn't say something she wasn't supposed to.

"Sometimes people change. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, you'll change too. Then you and Jacob and Embry will all be on the same track and can be friends again."

Quil made a face.

"You made no sense whatsoever."

Kourtney groaned.

"Hope for the best, expect the worst. And like I told you earlier, you have me! If Jacob decides to be a jerk and ditches you, I'll hang out with you!"

"And have Paul kick my ass? No thanks!"

Kourtney laughed.

"You're a complicated guy, Young Quil."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better though."

"That's what friends are for!"

Quil smiled.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked.

"About what?"

"I don't know. Whatever's bothering you? You're always helping me with whatever's bothering me. And even just talking it out helps. It seemed like you needed to talk with your venting earlier."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I just need more hours in the day and maybe more energy to get me through it."

"If that's what you need, then I can't help you. Why don't you just quit your job? I'm pretty sure your parents don't need the extra income," Quil suggested.

"Yeah, but I guess I just wanted to start earning my own money. A little extra money can't hurt, especially when I go off to college."

"I'll definitely be a loner when you leave then. There goes my last friend!" Quil sighed.

"Quil! Stop going back to that!"

"Is Paul going with you?"

"To where? To college?" The question took Kourtney by surprise. "I have a feeling he'll be staying here."

"What? Why?"

"Uh, well… He actually has to-Paul!" Quil looked up and saw Paul walking up the walkway. "I thought you weren't going to, uh, be free until later?"

"Emily got in touch with me," he said. "She's been calling you and got worried when you didn't pick up."

"I didn't hear my phone ring," Kourtney told him. She grabbed her bag and rummaged through it. "Because I probably left it upstairs!"

Kourtney excused herself and ran back into her house. Quil remained seated on the steps. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Quil stood up.

"I'm just gonna…go," Quil said, avoiding looking at Paul. "Just tell Kourt that I…had to go."

"What were you two talking about?" Paul asked. He crossed his arms and looked at Quil who was still avoiding looking at him.

"Uh, nothing really," Quil said.

"Nothing about me?"

Quil quickly shook his head, which Paul knew was a lie. He walked up just in time to hear Kourtney talk about needing money for college.

"Get outta here," Paul said. Quil quickly walked past him and hopped the fence back to his side. Paul chuckled to himself. He enjoyed scaring Quil.

"Got it!" Kourtney said as she stepped outside, her phone in her hand. "Where'd Quil go?"

"He said he had to go. Told me to tell you that he said bye."

Kourtney gave him a look.

"Did you scare him away?"

"Do I look scary?" Paul asked, putting on his best innocent look. Kourtney smiled. She made her way towards him and threw her arms around him.

"I missed you!"

"How are you feeling now?"

"A lot better," she said. She tiptoed to give him a kiss.

"Come on," Paul said when they broke apart. "Everyone's waiting on us."

.-~*~-.

"There you are!" Emily exclaimed once she saw Kourtney and Paul walking up.

"I'm sorry!" Kourtney told her, giving a hug. Then she went to hug Kim. "I got caught up talking with Quil."

"What's going on with him?" Embry asked, joining the conversation.

"You're here for once," Kourtney joked.

"Yeah, Sam made Jared do patrol this afternoon. I had the day off."

Kourtney smiled.

"So what happened with Quil?" Embry asked again. Kourtney knew he still cared about his friend. She wondered if being a shapeshifter meant having to ditch their old friends. She filed the question away to ask Paul later.

"Uh, he just had a bad day," Kourtney said. Embry didn't seem satisfied. "He was over at Jacob's when Sam and Old Quil stopped by. So…"

Embry nodded, finally getting it.

"Go long, Call," Paul said, picking up a football and twirling it in his hands. Embry ran down the beach and kept running down. She looked at Paul and he gave her a smile, then winked. He wound back his arm and sent the football flying. It was definitely the farthest she'd seen anyone throw a football and Embry was able to leap up high and catch it.

"And you quit football, why?" she asked, clearly in awe.

"Because he could easily crush someone to death if he accidentally landed on them," Kim said.

Kourtney nodded her head. It was a valid point.

"Heads up!" she heard Embry call out. Paul quickly stepped in front of her to catch the football. "Sorry Kourtney!"

"Come and get your food Kourt. Sam just texted that he's on his way," Emily told her. The girls made their plates and sat down on the big beach blanket. Despite it being sunny, it was still a little chilly. Kourtney was prepared and brought out her sweater. She put it on before digging into her food. Sam arrived a few minutes later and the boys took their turn getting their food.

When everyone was done, Jared arrived.

"I'm starving!" he announced.

"Wanna walk?" Paul asked Kourtney. She nodded and Paul pulled her up. She dusted the sand off her pants as they started for one end of the beach. Kourtney wrapped her arms around Paul, wanting his warmth. Paul kissed the top of her head as he put his left arm around her.

They walked in comfortable silence until they neared a familiar log. They both sat down and watched the waves.

"So," Kourtney said, breaking the silence. "Is Jacob next?"

Paul looked at her and then nodded.

"That one day-"

"He was taller," Paul said. "I tried seeing if his skin was hot-"

"Is that another sign? Is that why you're always hot?" Paul smirked. "Babe!"

Paul laughed.

"Yes, our body temperatures get higher," Paul told her.

"So what's gonna happen to Jacob?"

"We babysit," Paul sighed.

"You babysit?"

"Jared and Sam will probably take turns and once Embry and I get out of school, we'll take turns watching him."

"So you just watch him?"

"Until he, uh, phases for the first time."

"Into a wolf?"

Paul nodded his head. He looked over at Kourtney. She stared out into the ocean, deep in thought. He was glad they were finally talking about something related to shapeshifting, yet he still felt uneasy. He was afraid that any moment Kourtney would decide she was too freaked out to be with him.

"Poor Quil," Kourtney finally said. "He's gonna be alone."

"Yeah," Paul said. "I know you feel bad for him, baby, but you can't tell him anything."

"I know, I know."

"Embry is secretly hoping that Quil will phase soon too."

"That wouldn't be so bad," Kourtney said.

Paul shook his head.

"It's not something I'd wish on someone. You give up a lot."

"Like football. And college."

"It's a big responsibility having to protect the res and looking out for one another. It's a big change."

"What do you protect the res from? Is that why you guys patrol?" Kourtney asked.

"One thing at a time, babe," Paul said. He didn't want to go into the topic of vampires, fearing that it'll scare her off even more.

"Okay. Can I at least know what a leech is?"

Paul shook his head.

"Maybe some other time. I don't want to overwhelm you."

"Well, now I'm just curious!" Kourtney told him.

"Next time," Paul told her. He couldn't believe that he was the one who was ending the conversation now, just when Kourtney was showing to be comfortable with talking about it. He stood up and offered his hand which she took. They shared a kissed before heading back.

As they neared their area, they could see everyone packing up. The sun was starting to set and it was getting colder. They spent a few minutes helping with what they could before Paul drove Kourtney home.

.-~*~-.

"It's Monday again tomorrow," she sighed as Paul pulled up in front of her house. "Another week of school and work."

"Babe, you know, you don't have to work," Paul said reaching for her hand.

"I know, but I want to. I mean I should," Kourtney said with a shrug. "I need to stop living off of my parents eventually. Plus, it's only my second week. I just need to wait until I get the hang of balancing things around."

"Well, I've been thinking…"

"About?" Kourtney prompted when he didn't continue. Paul took a deep breath.

"About just dropping out."

"Of school?"

Paul nodded.

"No, Paul-"

"Just hear me out, babe," Paul said. "It's not like I'm gonna get a chance to go to college. I'm stuck here. I don't need a damn diploma to do what I do. I can drop out, maybe work during the day and patrol at night. Then you wouldn't have to work-"

"No."

"But-"

"No!" Kourtney cried. "You _need_ to graduate, Paul. You're so close! Don't just throw it all away!"

"Kourtney, I'm not going to college. We both know that!" Paul said with frustration.

"Baby, listen to me. Don't. Drop. Out. Promise me," Kourtney said with a serious tone.

"I can't-"

"Promise me you won't drop out and that you'll graduate this year."

Paul looked away and sighed. He was conflicted. He knew dropping out would end up disappointing a lot of people, Kourtney and his dad included, but it was what he wanted. A high school diploma was useless to him. Sam was already 21 and he was still stuck in the res due to being a shapeshifter.

"Paul, promise me," Kourtney insisted.

Paul turned back to her.

"I promise," he said before kissing her.

.-~*~-.

"Enjoying the book?" Jerry asked. He was enjoying his night off, just watching TV when Kourtney came home. Rather than going to sleep, like she planned, she brought down the book and sat on the couch to keep him company.

"Yeah, well, I'm only interested in reading about Taha Aki and his Spirit Warriors." Her dad smiled. "It's your favorite, right?"

Her dad nodded.

"It's probably the legend that all Quileute boys loved hearing. Us boys all wanted to be part of Taha Aki's Spirit Warriors pack," he told her with a laugh. "Unfortunately for us Hunt boys, we are not part of the bloodline."

"Bloodline?" Kourtney asked, suddenly more interested.

"As the legend goes, the descendants of Taha Aki are a part of his bloodline and are believed to carry the ability to become Spirit Warriors."

"Aww, I'm sorry, Dad," Kourtney teased.

"Ah, who knows? Maybe the lucky fella you end up marrying will be part of that bloodline." Jerry winked at Kourtney and she only smiled. She thought about Paul who she assumed was part of the bloodline.

"Do you happen to know who is part of that bloodline?"

"Not at the top of my head," Jerry said. "But I do know we have another book of all the Quileute members. I'm sure we can use it to trace the bloodline. I'll see if I have time to dig through and look for it tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dad," Kourtney said. She closed the book as a yawn came over her. "I should get some sleep."

"You should," Jerry told her. Kourtney went over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night sweetheart."

.-~*~-.

The next two days flew by for Kourtney thanks to her new schedule. When Wednesday rolled around, Kourtney was able to take a breather. It was her day off and she was headed to the beach with Paul who dropped her off so she could get her stuff ready while he went home to get his.

"Kourtney!" She heard her dad call once she closed the front door beside her.

"Dad?"

"In the garage!"

Kourtney made her way towards the garage. She saw that almost all of the boxes were opened and no longer stacked in their usual organized fashion that Kourtney left them in.

"What happened here?"

"I found it!"

"What?"

"The book! Come here! I found the page for the Taha Aki bloodline!"

Kourtney hurried over to her dad who seemed to be more excited than she was.

"Looks like your boyfriend has the potential to be a Spirit Warrior."

Kourtney looked at the paper and saw that Paul's name was indeed written down as a descendant of Taha Aki. She felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly glanced at the other names. _Sam Uley, Embry Call, Jared Cameron,_ and _Jacob Black._ She saw a couple of other names, including Quil's. Goosebumps prickled Kourtney's skin.

"You alright sweetheart?"

"Yeah. This is just…wow. This is amazing!"

"It is amazing. And it's part of our history. It's part of who we are."

Kourtney nodded. She saw how much pride her dad had for this amazing part of their culture. She smiled. She couldn't wait to see Paul to share what she learned. Kourtney knew he'd be happy to hear that she'd been reading up on the Spirit Warriors.

"Thanks for this, Dad!" Kourtney gave her dad a hug. "I need to go change. I'm supposed to meet Paul."

She gave her dad a kiss on the cheek and started to head back inside the house.

"Ask him if he's a Spirit Warrior. If he is, I approve of him more than ever now!" Her dad called after her. Kourtney laughed then she stopped and backtracked into the garage.

"Dad?" Her dad looked up from skimming through the book in his hand. "Do you…do you believe in the Spirit Warriors?"

Jerry was surprised at his daughter's question.

"I mean…you said it was your favorite legend and that you always wanted to be a Spirit Warrior. So, do you believe in them?"

"Are you asking me if I believe that members of our tribe can change into wolves?"

Kourtney bit her lip.

"Well, when you say it like that…" Kourtney was starting to think the whole shapeshifter business was absurd.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I believe in them," Jerry told her with confidence.

"You do?"

Jerry closed the book and put it away.

"I do. I believe in Spirit Warriors."

Kourtney was stunned to hear that her father believed in Spirit Warriors.

"How? I mean, why?"

"Because I've seen them before," Jerry told her.

"Seen them?" Kourtney asked. She wondered if he was talking about Paul and the rest of the guys.

"The Spirit Warriors."

"Wh-what do you mean? What Spirit Warriors? Who?"

"Ephraim Black, Billy's grandfather," Jerry said. He smiled remembering the memory. "Billy and I saw him turn into a wolf. We were about to head into the forest and then we saw him. Ephraim jumped up, real high! He changed mid-air. Landed as a wolf. It was mesmerizing."

Kourtney looked at her father, not knowing if he was pulling her leg or not.

"There were two other wolves with him. Our guess was that it was Levi Uley and Quil Ateara II. Those three were thick as thieves back in the day."

"So does that mean Billy was one too?" It made sense. If his grandfather was one, then he should've been one too. After all, Jacob was showing the signs.

"No," Jerry told her. "Ephraim Black was the last and only Spirit Warrior that I know of."

Kourtney wondered why there was such a gap in the bloodline.

"Why do you think Ephraim Black became a Spirit Warrior and Billy didn't?"

"Simple. Because we didn't need them then."

"Need them for what?" Kourtney asked.

"You didn't finish reading the legend, did you?" Kourtney shook her head. "Where's the book?"

"In my room."

"Go get it. I'll meet you in the living room," Jerry told her. He was excited to be teaching his daughter about such an important part of their culture.

He made it to the living room just as Kourtney reached the bottom of the stairs. She handed him the book and took a seat next to him. He flipped through the pages until he got to the one he was looking for. He skimmed the page then handed the book back to Kourtney. He pointed to two words.

"Cold Ones?"

"Cold ones. Deceased humans who have come back from death. Pale, cold skin. Red eyes. Preying on the living humans for blood."

"Sounds a lot like vampires." Jerry nodded. "So Spirit Warriors protect us from Cold Ones? So it's like…werewolves versus vampires kind of thing."

"Be careful, honey. I heard they don't like being called werewolves," Jerry chuckled.

"Why do you know so much about this?"

"Like I said, it was my favorite legend. And after what I saw, my interest peaked."

Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell.

"Crap, that's Paul!" Kourtney said, looking at the clock. "I'm not even ready."

She got up to answer the door.

"Sorry," she said when she saw her boyfriend. "I got sidetracked so I'm not exactly ready. But come in and give me a few minutes."

Paul nodded.

"Wait," Kourtney said, placing her hand on Paul's bare chest and pushing him back you. "My dad's home. You might want to put a shirt on."

Paul smirked at her and looked down at her hand which was still on his bare body. Kourtney smacked him.

"You know what, just go wait in the car," Kourtney said, rolling her eyes. Paul grabbed her hand and pulled her close and kissed her. Kourtney giggled and pushed him away again. "My dad is in the living room! I'll be quick! I have something to tell you!"

"What?"

"Not here! Go! I'll be out in a minute."

Paul gave her one last kiss before pulling away and heading to his car.

Kourtney dashed up the stairs and quickly threw on a bathing under a new set of clothes. She stuffed a towel into her beach bag, still full of sand from Sunday's beach day and started for the stairs. She stopped when she heard her mom's voice coming from the living room.

Kourtney slowly crept down the stairs and listened in.

"I don't like him for her!"

"That's just your opinion," Kourtney heard her dad say.

"What? You like him? How many times did that boy land in your jail cell?"

"He was young, Cyn. Throwing him in jail was a scare tactic that Gene asked me to do."

"He's slept around Jer!"

"Rumors! Those were rumors!"

"Of course you would give him the benefit of the doubt, right?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kourtney sighed as her parents' argument grew louder and louder. It was time for her to intervene. She made her way down the stairs and towards the living room.

"What do you think?"

"Don't go there, Cynthia. I could easily bring up Shaun and that night you spent-"

Kourtney didn't see it, but she heard it the sound of someone being slapped. She quickly ran the rest of the way to the living room.

"Mom? Dad?"

Her parents turned their heads towards her. She saw their eyes both show surprise with her sudden presence. It was as though they forgot they had a daughter that still lived with them and could hear every word of their arguments.

"Kourtney," her dad said.

"What is going on?"

Kourtney moved closer and saw her dad with the left side of his face red. Her mom stood in front of him with tears in her eyes. Kourtney suddenly felt protective over her dad.

"Mom, what did you do?"

Kourtney walked over to her dad and stood by his side. She ignored the tears rolling down her mother's face. Cynthia hurried out the room without saying anything to her daughter.

"Dad are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he said.

"You're lip is bleeding, dad!"

Jerry shook his head and stopped Kourtney from getting any closer. He looked at her and saw tears in her eyes. With the way her eyebrows furrowed, he could tell that she was angry, presumably at her mom. He sighed.

"Kourtney," her dad said with a soft voice. "You should tell Paul that you won't be meeting him today."

"Wha-"

"Tell him that I want you to stay home tonight. Then I want you to go and apologize to your mother."

"Why?"

"Apologize to your mother!"

Kourtney jumped at her father's tone. Without another word, Kourtney did as he asked. Kourtney made her way to the front door and opened it. She jumped back in surprise when she saw Paul standing there waiting.

"Babe," he said, hearing everything. He saw the tears in her eyes and he reached out to wipe them away.

"I can't make it out tonight," she told him, trying to keep her voice even.

"What's going on?"

She shook her head.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Paul asked, stepping inside the house. He cupped Kourtney's face in his hands.

"Paul." Both Paul and Kourtney looked back at her dad. "Kourtney will see you tomorrow."

"Just go," Kourtney whispered. "I'll call you later."

Paul nodded and kissed the top of her head before retreating out of the house. Jerry walked past Kourtney and watched as Paul got in his car. He waited for Paul to start his car and when he didn't he turned to Kourtney.

"Go upstairs and apologize to your mother," he said again. Kourtney nodded and walked up the stairs. Jerry remained at the front door, only leaving the spot once Paul finally turned his engine on and drove away.

Meanwhile upstairs, Kourtney walked the small hallway to her parents' bedroom. She knocked on the door and slowly opened it.

"Mom?" Kourtney saw her mom sitting down on the bed, sniffling. Kourtney felt bad for making her mom cry. "Mom, I'm sorry."

"Thank you sweetie. But it's not your fault."

Not knowing how to respond, Kourtney turned to leave.

"I'm sorry," her mom said.

Kourtney stopped. Then she turned back and made her way beside her mom. Her mom reached for her hand and squeezed it. Cynthia smiled through her tears at her daughter.

"Mom," Kourtney began. "What's going on? Why are you and dad always fighting now?"

"It's…it's complicated."

"What happened?"

"Well, I-"

"Your mother isn't the bad guy," Jerry said, making his presence known. "It's my fault."

Cynthia was surprised at Jerry's statement.

"What do you mean?"

Jerry sighed. He looked at Cynthia. Their eyes locked briefly before she nodded then looked away. Jerry nodded, too.

"Dad?"

"Uh, why don't I go grab us some dinner from the restaurant. We can have a nice dinner here and then we can talk."

Kourtney looked at her mom who was looking down at the crumpled tissue in her hands. Kourtney looked back at her dad and nodded.

"I'll be back. Why don't you go and set the table?" Kourtney got up and made a stop in her room. She saw a text message from Paul.

 **P: Everything ok?**

 **Everything is fine.** She texted.

 **P: Didn't sound like it.**

 **Just having dinner with them tonight. I'll call you as soon as I can. I still have something to tell you.**

She added a smiley face to reassure him that it was good news. She couldn't wait to tell him what she found out about shapeshifters and Spirit Warriors. Kourtney knew he'd be surprised and pleased that she'd taken the time to learn more about what he was. All she had to do now was get through dinner with her parents and whatever talk they wanted to have.

Kourtney sat at the dining room table. Her parents ate their food in silence while she merely pushed her food around her plate.

"Okay, so what did you want to talk about?" Kourtney finally asked.

"Let's finish our food first, sweetheart," her dad told her.

"Dad, I'm not going to sit her and eat and pretend like everything is fine. Everything is obviously not fine! What is going on?"

"Kourtney," her father began sternly.

"We are separating," her mother said. Kourtney looked at her mother in surprise. She then looked over at her dad who placed his fork down and slowly looked back at her.

"What? Y-you're joking, right?"

"No, your mother is not joking." Kourtney was rendered speechless. "As you know, your mother and I have not been getting along as of late. Taking time apart made us realize that maybe separating is what's best for us."

"Separating? What does that even mean?" Kourtney finally managed to say. "Are you guys gonna get a divorce?"

Kourtney watched as her parents looked at one another. It was as though they were having a mental conversation with each other.

"No," her mom said. She seemed to have more to say but decided against it.

"I'll be moving out, eventually," her dad added.

Kourtney felt as though her heart had been crushed.

"You're leaving me?" she asked, as tears started to collect in her eyes.

"I won't be moving too far."

"Where?"

"I honestly don't know yet. I have a few things I'm waiting on, job-wise before making a decision."

The tears fell down Kourtney's face and her dad reached for her hand.

"I promise I won't leave you, sweetheart," he told her.

Cynthia watched as her husband comforted their daughter. She couldn't help but feel hurt by Kourtney's reaction. It wasn't a secret that she had always been a daddy's girl, much like how Cody had always been a mama's boy, but seeing Kourtney side with her dad hurt Cynthia.

She abruptly stood up and started to collect the dishes, her action going unnoticed by Kourtney. Cynthia felt Jerry's eyes watching her, but she avoided looking his way and brought the dishes to the sink.

"Why don't you go head upstairs and go to bed? I'll help your mother with the dishes."

Cynthia heard the sound of chairs scraping across the floor and light footsteps retreating from the kitchen. She could hear Jerry picking up the rest of the dishes and walking to where she was.

"You can't take her with you," Cynthia said once she felt him nearby.

"I'm not taking her anywhere," Jerry told her with a sigh. "She's eighteen. She's an adult now."

"She's going to choose you." Cynthia felt her own tears run down her cheeks. Although they'd been at odds for the last several months and she was no longer in love, finally deciding to separate still broke her heart.

Jerry placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and shrugged it off.

"I'm heading to bed," she said, leaving the half washed dishes in the sink.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney curled up in bed, crying over the news that was just broken to her. When her sobs become more controlled, she finally dialed Paul's number. A wave of fresh tears came when she got the voicemail rather than Paul's voice, greeting her. Kourtney returned to crying out her frustrations until she fell asleep.

It seemed she had been asleep for hours when she was jostled awake. She could hear the shrill ringing of a phone. Looking at her nightstand, she saw that it wasn't hers. The ringing stopped and she could hear her dad's voice answer sleepily. Had her dad slept in Cody's room?

From her dad's tone she could tell that something was wrong. She listened as he stomped around the room before opening the bedroom door and going down the stairs. Kourtney knew to listen for the familiar start-up of her dad's patrol car. Seeing that it was the middle of the night, Kourtney knew that her dad wouldn't be turning on his sirens or his lights.

As usual, Kourtney hoped that her dad was safe going out and would return home safe and sound soon. She tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She found herself feeling anxious, not just for her dad, but for Paul. Kourtney reached for her cellphone and saw that she received neither a call nor text from Paul. She dialed his number again. Straight to voicemail. Kourtney sighed. It was going to be a long night of waiting for her.

.-~*~-.

 _Can't catch a damn break!_ Jared thought as he phased and joined the pack. He had just gotten off patrol half an hour ago when he heard the howls of his pack brothers. He knew that something was up.

 _They split up_ , Paul informed him. _Sam chased one of them down south. Embry and I are heading north with two of them._

 _How many are there?_

 _Two more around_ , Sam suddenly said. _Jared try sniffing them out. I'll head back up after I take care of this leech._

Jared sprang into action, using his nose to try and catch a scent. He got a sudden whiff and made a sharp right turn.

 _Got a scent!_ Jared could hear Sam's snarls and growls and knew that he was ridding the world of one less leech. He heard a whine.

 _I'm okay_ , Embry thought. _Fucking bloodsucker._

Jared could hear the screams of the Cold One as Embry sunk his teeth into it and began to tear it to shreds. Soon, Jared could hear Paul's thoughts as he dealt with the vampire he was chasing.

 _Jared, where are you?_

 _Still chasing the scent. It's getting near the res!_ Jared pushed his legs to run faster. The leech was getting a little too close to home.

 _Heading back down,_ Paul told him.

 _Look for the other one¸_ Jared instructed him. Jared went back to focusing on chasing the vampire. He screeched to a halt when he realized that he lost the scent. He raised his head to try and catch the scent again. _Damn it! I lost it! Guys?_

 _Still dealing with this damn leech_ , Sam said.

 _Coming back down_ , Embry told him. _Paul?_

 _Going in for the second kill of the night_. Paul said. Embry ran faster, not wanting to be outdone by Paul.

 _Focus!_

 _Got him!_ Jared picked up speed as he caught the scent again. Even though they were still close to the res, Jared was glad that the vampire was running alongside the res border rather than trying to cross it. _I see the fucker!_

Jared could hear Paul gaining on him.

 _This one's mine, Lahote!_

 _Third kill of the night for me!_ Paul told him, trying to catch up to Jared.

 _Nope!_ Embry said as he turned and ended up running right alongside Paul. Paul took the extra few seconds to try and ram Embry into a tree to gain the advantage. Jared tuned out Paul and Embry and focused on the vampire.

 _He's mine!_ Jared timed it just right and leapt into the air. The vampire quickly turned and performed a flip, kicking Jared back into tree. _Motherfucker! Don't touch him! He's mine!_

 _Heading up now,_ Sam told them. _That leech was a tough son of a bitch._

They could see Sam wince in pain. A quick thought of how he was going to reassure Emily he was fine flashed through his mind.

Jared got back to chasing the vampire who was now on the road that led to La Push.

 _Shit! He's near the entrance!_

 _Get him, Jared! He cannot get into the res!_ Sam's voice boomed in all their heads.

Jared felt adrenaline pump through his veins and he picked up speed. Rather than pouncing on the vampire again, Jared continued running and head butted him, sending him off the road and several yards into the forest again. Jared took the second to scan the forest to see where the vampire landed. He was so focused that he didn't notice the vehicle approaching. Unfortunately for Jared, the driver and passenger didn't notice the giant wolf standing right in the middle of the road.

 _Jared! Look out!_ Paul thought, but it was too late. A loud crash was heard followed by screeching brakes and the sound of metal being crushed. Paul, Embry, and Sam froze at the pained howl coming from Jared. The three other wolves howled simultaneously. It was as though they could feel his pain, too. His howls and whines overpowered their own thoughts until everything became silent.

 _Jared? JARED!_

* * *

 **AN:** As always, I hope you readers enjoyed!


	30. Chapter 30

"Kourtney, honey! You're gonna be late!"

Kourtney looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 8. She glanced at her phone again; still nothing from Paul. Her stomach tightened up with knots.

"If Paul isn't going to pick you up, he should be considerate enough to let you know!" her mom said, irritated.

Kourtney tried her best not to roll her eyes in front of her mom.

"It's okay, Mom. It only takes a couple of minutes to get to school."

"Then you have to find parking, stop by your locker-"

"Mom!" Kourtney cried. "I'll be fine. I'm gonna go now."

Kourtney hurried out the door before her mom could say another word. As Kourtney made her way down the pathway and to her car, she couldn't help but worry. Paul still hadn't replied to any of her texts or called her back. He was usually really good at letting her know if he was going to be late or if he wasn't going to make it to school. Then there was her dad. He still wasn't home as well. It was odd for him to still be out on a call without letting them know he was alright. Then again, considering her parents news from the night before, Kourtney wondered if her dad even felt the need to tell her mom anything anymore.

Kourtney looked out her window as she passed by the Sheriff's Department. The small parking lot only had two of the parking spots taken, none of the were her dad's deputy car. It only took Kourtney another minute to get into the school's parking lot. She took the first parking spot she saw and after throwing her car in park, Kourtney pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Reggie's number. Why she hadn't thought to call him earlier, she didn't know. Kourtney groaned when she was sent to voicemail. She quickly hopped out of her car and ran inside the school.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney was late to class and was grateful that her teacher didn't even bat an eye. As she walked in, she noticed the stares coming from her classmates. Wondering if she had anything on her face, Kourtney casually wiped at her cheeks.

Class passed by quickly and as soon as she was out the hall, she noticed the more than usual chatter throughout the halls. As she walked towards her locker, she could hear conversations about some accident. She saw a big huddle near her locker consisting of her classmates.

"What's going on?" she asked. The huddle was blocking her from her locker.

"You didn't hear?" Leslie asked. "There was a big accident!"

Kourtney's heart dropped.

"Where?"

"Just near the entrance of the res!"

"Do you guys know who was involved?"

Everyone shook their head.

"It was an SUV," Brian said.

Kourtney felt a bit of relief; Paul didn't have an SUV.

"Sorry, can I get through?" The huddle parted to let her to her locker.

"What happened? Drunk driver?" Kourtney heard Marianne ask.

"I think they're still investigating."

"Hey, Kourtney," Kayla called. "Did your dad tell you anything?"

"No, he didn't," Kourtney said. "I haven't heard from him yet."

"Kourtney!"

She turned at the mentioning of her name and saw Christy heading her way. Her face was full of worry.

"Christy-"

"Did you hear? Do you think it's Kim and Jared?"

"What? No!" Kourtney hadn't thought to consider Kim or Jared. "What makes you think that?"

"Kim hasn't been answering my calls!"

"No, it's not them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean it was outside of the res-"

"Kim and Jared went to watch a movie at Forks last night!"

Kourtney shook her head.

"No, Christy. It's not them. My dad would've told me right away. I'm sure it's not them."

"You're dad isn't supposed to tell you that information," Moni said.

"It's no wonder he's in danger of losing his job," Kayla muttered, not bothering to keep Kourtney from hearing.

"What did you say?"

"You didn't know? Of course your dad wouldn't tell you. I'd be ashamed to admit that I'd been fired, too."

Kourtney slammed her locker shut and walked towards Kayla.

"My dad wasn't fired! He was working last night! He wouldn't take a call if he was fired!"

Kourtney hated how Kayla always started the gossip. And with what her parents were going through, Kourtney didn't want another negative rumor to be spread around. They had enough to deal with.

"Marianne! Tell Kourtney here what you heard about her dad."

"My dad told me your dad hasn't exactly been doing well, especially after he took that vacation to Miami," Marianne said nonchalantly.

"I'm sure my dad is entitled to a vacation."

"Of course. I mean, I would take one too if things at home were more stressful than my job."

Kayla smirked and Kourtney didn't realize that she slapped her until Marianne pushed her back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Before Kourtney could react, Kayla slapped Kourtney back. Kourtney lunged forward, trying to grab Kayla, but she quickly moved away. Next thing she knew, Kourtney threw a punch and felt it connect with her face. Kayla let out a scream.

"You bitch!"

Kourtney felt herself being rammed back into the locker. She cried in pain as she felt something hit her shoulder blade. She reached for her shoulder to stop the throbbing pain.

"Kourt!" She glared at Kayla, who had blood dripping from her nose. Kourtney took a step forward but was held back by Leslie.

"Kourtney, don't," she told her.

"You're the bitch, Kayla," Kourtney said instead. "What the fuck is wrong with you that you find the need to always spread some bullshit lie about other people?"

"Shut up, Kourtney!" Marianne said.

"No, you shut up Marianne! I'm not even talking to you-"

"Kayla is my friend," Marianne said. "Unlike you."

Kourtney rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Let me guess, you're gonna bring up Paul again? What was it he told you last time you two talked? That he thought _I_ was the one?"

Marianne looked infuriated. She made her way to Kourtney, but was held back by Brian.

"Marianne, stop! Don't do anything stupid!"

"Let me go! You're such a bitch, Kourtney! You and Paul deserve each other! Both fucking losers!"

Kourtney couldn't take it. First her dad was brought up, then her parents' problems were aired out, and now her boyfriend was being trash talked. She knew if Paul was around he would have defended himself, but since he wasn't, Kourtney would defend him instead. She did just that by lunging at Marianne. Not expecting her, Marianne crumbled under Kourtney's sudden weight. Marianne quickly scratched at Kourtney's face and tried pulling at her hair. Kourtney managed a punch to Marianne as well before she was pulled off.

"Ms. Hunt!" a voice bellowed.

Kourtney's face paled when she saw the principal making his way through the crowd. She looked up and saw that Nate was who pulled her off of Marianne. He sent her an apologetic smile before letting her go and stepping away just as the principal arrived.

"Ms. McCloud! Ms. Baird! All three of you to my office!"

.-~*~-.

Paul stood against the wall, his arms crossed, and focusing on the floor. A million thoughts raced through his mind. He wondered how Jared was. He thought about how it could've been him instead, how it should've been him. Then he thought about Kourtney and not being able to return her calls. He knew that something happened with her parents.

Speaking of, Paul looked and watched as Kourtney's dad stood at the other side of the room, talking with Old Quil, Harry Clearwater, and Billy Black. He was curious as to what they were talking about, but he didn't want to eavesdrop. Whatever it was, he knew that they'd eventually let Sam know, who in turn would let the rest of the pack know. Paul looked over at his alpha who sat on the chair, elbows on his knees wringing his hands. Sam blamed himself, just like Paul did. They all blamed themselves.

Paul mentally beat himself up again for always making things into a competition. It must've distracted Jared which was why he didn't see… Paul groaned in frustration and punched at the wall.

"Paul!" Sam automatically said.

"I need to get out of here," Paul said.

"No!" Sam ordered. "We need to stay here. The Council wants to talk to us."

"Sam," Embry said. He nodded over at Jerry, the only person who was not on the council or part of the pack.

"It's okay, Young Call," Old Quil said.

The four older men made their way across the small room. Sam instantly jumped up and offered the chair to Old Quil. Billy wheeled himself beside Old Quil and Jerry stood beside him. Harry stood opposite them to complete the circle.

"Gentlemen, we may have a problem," Billy said.

"What kind of problem?"

Billy looked at Jerry to take over.

"It seems as though the person who called in the accident has claimed to know the cause of the accident."

Paul and Embry exchanged looks then looked over to their alpha. He held a calm, neutral expression on his face. Paul tried to do the same, but he was worried. When he got over the shock of Jared getting run over, he was the first to spring into action. He ran to Jared's wolf form and quickly dragged him out of the road when he heard another car approaching. Paul shuddered when he remembered all the pain that Jared felt, both from the accident and from being dragged away.

"What was the cause?" Sam asked, getting Paul's attention again.

Jerry looked over at Billy then Old Quil. The elder gentleman gave him a nod.

"The person claimed to have seen an animal of some sort, dragging away another."

Sam's expression broke and he turned to the Council members. Jerry opened his mouth to continue, but a knock on the door stopped him. When he didn't answer right away, another knock and the door opened, revealing Deputy Fisher. Jerry looked annoyed with Reggie's interruption.

"Sir, there's a problem at school."

"Reg, I'm a little busy right now. You can-"

"It's Kourtney. She, uh, got in a fight."

"What?" Paul cried propelling himself forward from the wall. Sam immediately stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry gentlemen. This meeting will have to wait."

Old Quil nodded. Jerry stood up and made his way out of his office. He clapped Paul's shoulder on the way out and nodded.

"Paul," Sam said. "Let Jerry handle it. We have other matters to deal with. You can see Kourtney later."

Paul started to pace the room.

"Sam, you need to let him out," Embry said.

"You three go," Billy said. "We'll pick this back up later on."

Sam turned to the two shifters.

"You two go ahead. I'm gonna stop by Emily's. She said she'd make a basket for Jared. Go for a run and I'll meet you two at Jared's. Paul, do not go see Kourtney right now."

Paul grumbled at the alpha's orders.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney sat on the couch, her hands folded in her lap, her head and eyes down. She could feel her father's disappointed face staring at her from his place on the recliner. Her mother sat to the left side of her on the couch. None of her parents spoke. They were like that for the last five minutes since coming home from picking her up at school. She had been suspended for a week. Since Marianne and Kayla both told the principal that Kourtney was the one who started it and claimed self-defense, they were only served with a week's worth of detention.

Once leaving the school, her mother talked her ear off to Kourtney's annoyance. Her father, on the other hand, only said one thing to her, "I'm so disappointed in you." It was enough to make Kourtney feel the worst she'd ever felt. Thinking about it all over again, just made her hate herself.

"Dad," she said looking up at him.

The look on his face made her stop. She looked down again. When her dad still said nothing, her mother sighed.

"What is going on with you, Kourtney? Why are you all of a sudden picking fights at school? With your own best friend, too!"

"Kayla and I have never been best friends, and if you're referring to Marianne, she hasn't been my best friend since a few months ago."

"Because of Paul?" Kourtney rolled her eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

Cynthia looked to her husband for help.

"This isn't about Paul, right now," he told her. "Kourtney, why did you start that fight at school?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"Kourtney. I'm going to ask you again, why did you start the fight at school?"

"Because…Kayla said something, okay?"

"So you fought her and Marianne?" her mother asked.

"Marianne said something else."

"Let me guess, about Paul."

Kourtney opened her mouth to argue, but her dad beat her to it.

"Enough with Paul, Cynthia!" Jerry cried. "I understand why you do not like him for our daughter, but Kourtney obviously likes him and I do, too! She is eighteen and an adult and she can decide who she wants to be in a relationship with!"

"I'm just trying to understand why she's all of a sudden interested in him!" her mother cried back. "She already had a good boyfriend in Alex-"

"He cheated on me," Kourtney said. Her parents looked at her in surprise.

"Yes, what a good boyfriend," Jerry said sarcastically.

"Yes, just like you were a good husband," Cynthia mocked.

"What-"

"Don't you dare bring that up in front of my daughter to purposely make me a bad guy!"

"She's my daughter, too! And you are the bad guy! You're the worst! It's your fault!"

"Stop it! Stop! Just stop!" Kourtney yelled. "This! This right here is what's wrong!"

She stood up and walked over to the front of the living room so she could better talk to her parents.

"Your constant arguing and yelling is what's wrong! This house isn't even a happy home anymore! I hate being home with you two at the same damn time! All you do is argue and hurt each other. And it hurts me to see you like this!"

Kourtney felt the tears come. She was so sick and tired of always crying. It seemed she did her fair share the last few days of shedding tears.

"You know, you two should just forget the separation and just get a damn divorce already! Go be with who you want to be with because it's obviously not with each other!"

Kourtney turned and ran up the stairs. She slammed her door and went straight into pacing around her room. She was worked up from yelling at her parents. She half expected them to follow after her, barging in her room to discipline her for talking about. When they didn't, Kourtney sat on her bed and cried some more. Where was Paul when she needed him to lean on?

.-~*~-.

Jerry and Cynthia sat in silence after their daughter's outburst. They were both surprised. Jerry's duty phone suddenly went off. He glanced at it. It was Billy calling. He debated whether or not to answer it.

"Just answer it," Cynthia told him. "You know you will eventually. Go do your duty, deputy."

With that she got up and retreated up to her room as well. Jerry sighed and massaged his temples. The ringing stopped and a notification for a missed call popped up. Jerry was getting ready to dismiss the notification when a text message from Billy popped up.

 **B: Bonfire at my house. Come on by. Old Quil wants to talk about the legends.**

Jerry immediately got up. As he headed out the door, her realized he was still in his uniform. He went up to his temporary room and changed. He walked past Kourtney's room and stopped. He thought of knocking to check in on her. He felt guilty for leaving her to go to a bon fire.

"She's sleeping," Cynthia said, appearing at her room's doorway. "At least, she's pretending to be."

Jerry nodded.

"I'm just heading over to Billy's," he said.

Cynthia nodded.

"We'll be here."

Jerry sighed as Cynthia turned and went back into her room. Jerry was rethinking of leaving, but he was eager to hear the legends. After Kourtney brought up the subject of the spirit warriors, Jerry couldn't stop thinking about them and of his best memory. The fact that a big animal was seen leaving the site of last night's crash also fed Jerry's curiosity. He pushed himself to go, before he changed his mind and missed out. He assured himself that he could have more to share with Kourtney when he got back since she showed some interest in the legends.

Jerry made the quick drive over to Billy's. He parked beside Paul's black truck. He walked towards the side of Billy's house. He could already make out Billy, Old Quil, and Harry Clearwater; they were the members of the Council. Jerry slowed down to a stop as he realized who the other three were that sat with the members of the Council.

Paul looked up, a surprised expression on his face when he saw Jerry. He turned to Sam and Embry, presumably noticing Jerry's arrival since the other two looked up at him as well.

"Come on, Jer! We're waiting for you!" Billy called out.

Jerry walked to close the distance. Harry offered the spot next to him on the log.

"What is this Billy?" Jerry asked.

"I think you already know, Deputy," Billy said with a smile. Jerry looked over at Billy who nodded over at the three young men sitting in front of them. "Do they remind you of another group of three friends from back in the day?"

Jerry looked over at Paul, Sam, and Embry. He turned back to Billy who was still smiling.

"Wha-" Jerry stopped and looked at the three guys again. It was then everything clicked and he understood what Billy was getting at. Jerry shook his head. "No."

Billy nodded his head.

"I'll be damned," Jerry laughed. "I was right."

"Right about what?" Paul finally asked. He was curious as hell to find out what Kourtney's dad, out of all people, was doing at their bon fire.

"I was just telling Kourtney the other day that I approved of you more if you were a Spirit Warrior."

The elder gentlemen laughed at the reactions of the younger men.

"Y-you know?"

"Now, I do," Jerry said. He stood up and went to shake their hands. "It is an honor to be in the presence of our very own Spirit Warriors."

Embry beamed with pride and Sam looked pleased as well. Paul seemed to be still in shock.

"I was wondering why Kourtney was all of a sudden interested in the legends."

"What?"

"Yeah, she asked me about Taha Aki and the Spirit Warriors and asked whether or not I believed in them."

"What'd you say?"

"I told her I did," Jerry said.

"Did you tell her about Ephraim?" Billy asked.

"That I did."

"What about Ephraim?" Embry asked. The two gentlemen shared a smile.

"When Old Hunt and I were younger, we had the privilege of seeing my grandfather phase into his wolf form."

This confession was met with a combination of awe and surprise.

"So you've always known about us?" Paul asked.

"I've always known about Spirit Warriors," Jerry told him. "I never knew about you three until now, but I had my suspicions with you."

"With me?" Paul asked.

Jerry nodded.

"I wondered why Kourtney was all of a sudden asking about Spirit Warriors. Then I had my suspicions of you being one when I saw Kourtney's reaction to you being a part of Taha Aki's bloodline."

"What do you mean?"

"She wanted to see who was part of Taha Aki's bloodline. When I showed her a book of it, she went straight down to see if your name was there. Obviously, you three being here just confirmed it for me."

"So…she believes me now?" Paul asked.

"She hadn't before?" Paul shook his head. "She hasn't seen you change into a wolf?"

"Against the rules," Billy and Sam said at the same time.

"Ah, well," Jerry said with a shrug. "I'm sure she's coming around. Now," Jerry turned to Harry, Old Quil, and Billy. "What the hell am I doing here?"

"We were hoping to finish up our meeting from earlier," Billy told him.

"How's Kourtney by the way?" Harry asked. He glanced at Paul, knowing that he was anxious about seeing his girlfriend.

"She's, uh, she's fine," Jerry said, rubbing his face. There he was, feeling old again.

"Did she win?" Embry asked, earning a glare from Sam and Paul. Jerry laughed.

"Uh, let's just say, she was the only one not bleeding." Everyone, including Paul, laughed.

"What happened?"

Jerry sighed.

"Let's get this meeting over with first." Paul nodded. "So?"

"We need to talk about what that person saw," Harry told him.

"Bears," Jerry told them.

"They thought they saw bears?"

"No, they thought they saw something as big as a bear, but looked like a wolf."

Paul hung his head down. It was all his fault. Their secret was going to be exposed because of him.

"But," Jerry continued. "I may have convinced them that it was probably just a bear and that in their state of mind over seeing the accident that they may have thought it was a wolf."

Paul looked up. The Councilmen looked at one another. Old Quil then nodded and Billy smiled.

"So the boys are off the hook?" Billy asked.

They were all concerned about word getting out about big wolves in the woods. It would send people into a frenzy, maybe even attract hunters. Jerry shrugged.

"Chief Swan was the first to arrive the scene. I arrived afterwards and spoke with him. It's how I found out about the witness thinking he saw a wolf. Charlie seems to believe him," Jerry explained.

"He can't know," Old Quil spoke for the first time. "Only members of the pack and the Council are allowed to know."

"Which brings us to our second item to this meeting," Billy said, turning to Jerry. "We could use you on the Council."

"What? Me?"

"As a member of the Council, we can request that you work with Forks Police as a liaison to the res."

"Let me guess, you want me there so I can cover up any other potential wolf sightings and steer them away," Jerry summed up."

The three Councilmen nodded.

"Especially with Bella and her affiliation with the Cullens."

The look of disgust was not missed on the three shapeshifters.

"It was originally the reason why," Billy continued, "but with what happened last night, we need to make sure we have a way to cover our tracks from all aspects."

Jerry stood up and began to pace. Everyone watched him. He stopped and turned towards Harry.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with the Sheriff asking me if I wanted to transfer, would you?"

"We may have already set things into motion," Harry admitted. "All you need to do is accept, if you want. We understand if you don't want to."

Jerry sighed. When he first got back from his vacation, he thought he was getting fired with the way the Sheriff asked him if he had any interest in transferring. Now he understood the reason for everything. As he thought about the offer given to him by the Council, he began to think about how it would change things. His separation was already announced to Kourtney. He couldn't stay in the same house with Cynthia. They're unhappiness was obviously hurting Kourtney. He needed to move out. If he accepted the offer, it would make sense to live in Forks. If he didn't… But he wanted to. Jerry's gut instinct was telling him to just take it. He always followed that instinct.

"I accept it."

.-~*~-.

Kourtney woke up the next day, feeling pain in her right shoulder. After looking in the mirror, she saw a big bruise from where she hit the lock from one of the lockers. She grimaced as she slowly put her shirt on. It was noon and Kourtney figured she could clock into work a couple of hours early. She had nothing better to do.

"Where do you think you're going?" her mom asked when she saw Kourtney dressed.

"Work."

"No, you're not."

"Mom, I have work today."

"I called for you. You're not working the entire time you're suspended. You're grounded."

"Are you serious?" Kourtney asked incredulously.

"You got into a fight, Kourtney! You got suspended, so yes I am serious about you being grounded."

"You're gonna keep me from working too?"

"Yes," her mom said. "You'll still have your job after your suspension is done."

Kourtney groaned. She heard the front door open and knowing it was her dad called out for him. Cynthia sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Mom won't let me work."

"Jerry, she's grounded!"

"I don't see why she can't work if she wants to," Jerry said. "She'll be working, Cynthia. It's not like she'll be goofing off with her friends."

"No, but her friends can still visit and see her."

"And by friends you mean Paul. Right?"

Cynthia didn't respond.

"Cynthia, Kourtney can-"

"No! She will not be working while she is suspended and grounded! This is my house, my rules!"

"Your house?" Kourtney asked. "Last time I checked this was _our_ house."

Jerry gave Cynthia a look.

"Sweetie, what your mom means is that…" Jerry sighed. "We're separating remember? We agreed that your mom can have the house."

"So you're moving? When? Where?"

"To Forks."

"What? I thought you'd at least be staying on the res!"

"I know, but I already have a job lined up for me."

"You do?" Cynthia asked surprised.

"I'll be working at the police department with Chief Swan."

"Don't take it!"

"I already did."

"Tell them you changed your mind!"

"The Council wants me to work there."

"The Council?" Cynthia asked. "Since when do they appoint jobs?"

"Don't worry about it, Cynthia," Jerry told her. "What's important is that I have a job and I'll be out of your hair soon."

"I'm coming with you right?"

"No, you're staying with your mom," Jerry told her.

He was ready for an argument. He knew that Kourtney wasn't going to want to stay with her mom. He also knew that she couldn't stay in Forks even if he wanted her too.

"You're almost done with your last year of high school. You don't need to deal with all the transferring. Forks is only half an hour away! You can visit me anytime!"

Kourtney still couldn't accept that her dad was going to be away from her, but she knew it was a lost cause. Once her dad made a decision, he stuck with it. Kourtney walked away from her parents and retreated to her room which would be her jail cell for the next week.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney was lying on her bed Monday morning after an uneventful, boring weekend. She was already going stir crazy and she missed Paul. A lot. She was without a cell phone and her laptop, so she had no way of contacting Paul.

However, her dad did share running into Paul (where, he did not specify) and telling him of her current situation. Kourtney was somewhat satisfied. At least Paul had an idea of what was going on with her and she didn't have to worry about him thinking anything else.

After spending the entire weekend just thinking since she had nothing else to do, Kourtney got more and more anxious with seeing Paul. She wanted to finally tell him that she believed him, or was willing to believe him. She imagined his reaction and how happy he'd be, it made her smile. The smile faded away as she felt her heart ache for him. She closed her eyes and wished that he could somehow feel how much she missed him and hated not being able to see him.

A knock on the door made Kourtney open her eyes.

"Come in," she said as she sat up. Her dad stuck his head inside her room.

"Feel like accompanying me to Forks?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm grounded, remember?"

"I'm your father, remember?" he mocked. "I hereby unground you for today…at least until your mother gets home. And it should go without saying that this stays between us."

Kourtney laughed.

"Give me ten minutes to get ready."

Her dad nodded and retreated out to the hallway, closing the door behind him. Kourtney quickly got ready, wanting to get out of the house as soon as possible. She was finally free!

"What are we doing in Forks?"

"Looking at apartments for myself," her dad told her.

Kourtney only nodded then looked out the window. She still hated the fact that her dad was leaving her. Kourtney had nothing against her mom, but she was more close with her dad. Plus, her mom was beginning to sound like Cody, always trying to keep her from being with Paul. Like mother, like son. Jerry and Kourtney spent a couple of hours touring a few apartments.

"I'm hungry," Kourtney complained once they finished touring the fourth apartment of the day.

"Hang on, sweetie, I just gotta sign some papers and this apartment is mine!"

"Can I wait over at the Diner?"

"Uh, no! Let's eat at the res," Jerry suggested.

"At River's Edge? Dad, ever since I started working there, I can't stand eating there! That place consumes my life!"

Jerry laughed.

"Just wait, okay?"

Kourtney waited in the car, listening to the radio. She sat up when she saw her dad walk out of the apartment complex's main office. She watched as her dad talked and laughed with the woman who helped them with the apartment. For some reason, Kourtney disliked the woman. She disliked how the woman looked at her dad and how the woman smiled and laughed with her dad. That was what her mom was supposed to do.

Kourtney honked the car horn. Her dad looked over at her and she scowled. Her dad shook the woman's hand and started to walk to the car.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I'm hungry," she reminded him.

It was the truth, but it was also because she hated seeing her dad flirt with anyone besides her mom.

"You passed the Diner!" Kourtney cried.

"I told you we're eating at the res."

Kourtney sighed and leaned back into her seat, arms crossed. She looked out the window and just let her mind drift as the trees just whirled by. Pretty soon her dad pulled into the parking lot of the River's Edge Restaurant. Kourtney sighed and jumped out. Her dad was already near the entrance, but she continued to lag behind him.

"Come on!" Jerry said.

"Hi you two!" greeted Alicia with a big smile on her face. "The usual table is open."

"Thank you," Jerry said.

He gestured Kourtney to go first and she led him to the far table reserved for employees and families. Kourtney was about to take a seat in the booth when her dad stopped her.

"I wanna sit here," he told her and he motioned for her to sit on the other side.

Kourtney did without an argument. Alicia soon came to their table with their menus. Kourtney did the usual act of looking over the menu even though she knew she'd settle for her usual lunch choice.

"You two ready to order?"

Kourtney looked up at the sound of Paul's voice. Jerry smiled as he watched Kourtney's face light up and a big smile spread across her face. It was the first time in a long time that he'd seen her that happy.

"Paul!" Kourtney jumped up and hugged him. Paul hugged her back. He had to fight the urge to just kiss Kourtney right then and there on the lips. He knew Jerry was probably watching him like a hawk.

"Join us," Jerry said even though he was the one who hinted to Paul that they'd be there.

Paul smiled at him and Jerry winked. Kourtney sat down and slid over to let Paul sit next to her.

"Well, I got some stuff to take care of at the office. I'll come back and get you when I'm done."

Kourtney looked at her dad suspiciously and he only gave her wink.

"Thanks, dad."

"For what? I didn't do anything," he said as he slid out of the booth.

She watched as her dad walked out of the restaurant then turned to Paul.

"I missed you," Kourtney said, hugging Paul again.

"I missed you, too, babe."

He tilted her chin up and finally kissed her. He could feel Kourtney smile. When the pulled away, Kourtney leaned on him and he instantly reached for her hand to hold.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," Paul sighed.

Kourtney laughed.

"Not to be all cheesy, but I'm sure it's not as much as I missed you! I haven't been grounded since I was 13! I literally have no contact with the outside world!"

Paul laughed then stopped when a realization dawned on him.

"You haven't spoken to anyone since…Friday?"

"Thursday."

"So…you didn't hear about Jared?"

Kourtney scrunched her face up in confusion.

"What happened to Jared?"

Paul took a deep breath in and looked around to make sure no one would hear. He leaned in close to Kourtney to whisper in her ear.

"He got into an accident."

"He what?" Kourtney exclaimed. "Oh my God, is he okay?"

"Yes-"

"Where is he? Is he still at the hospital?"

"Babe, calm down!"

"How's Kim holding up?"

"Shh!" Kourtney looked at him in surprise.

"Sorry," he said immediately. "It's just…" Paul looked around again. "It happened while he was in wolf form."

Kourtney's eyes widened.

"What? Wait, that accident. Was that-" Paul nodded. "What happened?" she asked again, lowering her voice as well.

"We were, uh, we were doing our patrol as usual and Jared got distracted by something. He was stopped on the road and he didn't see the car coming. Apparently the car didn't see him coming."

"Oh my God," Kourtney said again.

"He's alright now. Just slowly healing."

"Healing?" Paul smiled. "That's right. I haven't gotten around to telling you the plus side of being a shapeshifter, huh?"

Kourtney shook her head.

"I'm assuming that one of them is…healing?"

Paul nodded.

"The bones that he broke are almost one hundred percent healed. Sam still wants him home and resting though. So Embry and I have been picking up his slack," Paul joked.

"Is that why you look so tired?" Paul nodded. "How's Kim?"

"She's still shaken up. Emily's pretty shaken up, too. I think it's mostly because of Sam stressing over-" Paul stopped.

He wasn't sure how much he could share. He wasn't sure if her dad even mentioned being a part of the Council. Although he knew that Kourtney knew that her dad believed, he was pretty sure she didn't know that he finally knew about him being a shapeshifter.

"Over what?"

"I did something stupid. I messed up," Paul admitted.

"What are you talking about?"

"After Jared got hit, I went to check on him. When I saw it, I just froze. He looked banged up pretty bad. I wasn't sure if he was… Anyways, I saw headlights approaching and it took a second to register. But I finally dragged Jared away. We can't have anyone knowing about us or even knowing that there are big ass wolves roaming around."

Kourtney nodded.

"Sam and the Council have been trying to see how much the person saw and are trying to see if they need to do damage control."

Kourtney rubbed Paul's back.

"So, that's what's been going on with me. How about you?" Paul asked. Then he smiled. "My little scrapper." Kourtney rolled her eyes. "Babe, you have to tell me what happened!"

"I thought you would've heard by now!"

"I haven't been to school at all." Kourtney gave him a look. "I've been really tired," Paul cried in defense.

"You promised me!"

"I promised that I wouldn't drop out! Missing two days isn't dropping out. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" Kourtney nodded. "Now, tell me what happened. Who's ass did you kick? Some people say Kayla and some are saying Marianne."

Kourtney bit back a smile.

"I wouldn't say that I kicked their asses."

"Wait, both of them?"

"I just landed a punch on both of them that's it," Kourtney explained. Paul let out a laugh. Kourtney sighed and waited until Paul was done laughing.

"Sorry babe," Paul said in between laughs. "That's just priceless."

Paul made a move to hug her and bring her in and stopped when Kourtney winced.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked.

"My shoulder. I hit the lock on the locker pretty hard. It's kinda bruised up."

"Let me see," Paul said, concern written all over his face.

"It's nothing."

"Let me see."

He waited for her to nod before he gently pulled back the collar of her shirt. He peered down and saw a big bruise covering the top half of her shoulder blade. Paul felt anger surge through his body. He quickly looked away and concentrated on his breathing. He didn't want to have to leave to phase. He didn't want to waste a second not being with Kourtney. He didn't know when the next time he would see her would be.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said. Kourtney reached for his hand and used her other hand to rub his back.

"I'm okay," she told him in a soft voice. Then she added, "You should've seen the other two." Paul said nothing. "I think I may have broken Kayla's nose. You're a bad influence on me Lahote."

Paul looked up at her and saw her smiling. She eyes were bright and looking at him. They were smiling as well. Paul felt the small vibrations of his body slowly disappear. He leaned back and rubbed Kourtney's hand with his thumb. He leaned in and gave her another kiss.

"Why'd those two say to make go all fight club on their asses?"

Kourtney laughed.

"I thought we were moving on from this conversation."

"Nope!"

"I guess I just got fed up with Kayla's constant gossiping. She had the nerve to bring up my dad and my parents', uh, problems at home." Paul nodded.

"And Marianne got into this how?"

"She was defending Kayla and then she mentioned you and I ended up going after her too."

Paul laughed again.

"Anyways," Kourtney quickly said, not wanting to tell him about what Marianne said. She didn't want it to bring him down. She knew he already felt down for not being able to move out of the res like most of their classmates. "I went to Forks with my dad today. He was looking at apartments. Oh, they're separating by the way. I forgot to mention that."

"What?"

Kourtney nodded.

"It was the big announcement and the reason why my dad wanted me home that one day.

"Are you okay, babe?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Honestly, when I first heard, I was more concerned about my dad leaving me behind. Fortunately, he got a job at the Forks Police Department, so he won't be too far off. After I got into the fight, they started fighting about how to discipline me. I lost it. I yelled at them. I think I may have cursed at some point, but I told them to just get a divorce."

Paul let out a breath.

"Wow."

"I didn't mean it. I don't want them separated."

"Maybe it's best for them. Maybe they just need the space," Paul said.

"Maybe. But my dad was actually flirting with the woman who helped him find his apartment. I hated it. The way he looked at her and smiled and laughed. I honestly don't remember the last time he ever did that with my mom, but it should be with her!"

Paul nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Sorry," Kourtney said.

"Hi kids!" Alicia said as she approached the table. "I didn't want to bother you earlier, but are you two going to order?"

"Yeah," Paul said. "I'm starving!"

Kourtney only laughed beside him. Paul placed his order then looked at Kourtney.

"The usual?"

She nodded and watched as Paul ordered her usual for her. They wasted no time in talking again. Paul shared the big news of Jacob's recent 'sickness' and how he'd been coping. Embry was pretty happy about having Jacob be part of the pack soon. Paul also mentioned how much Embry couldn't wait to tease her.

"He already has a new nickname for you."

"Oh, no. Do I even want to hear this?"

"Little Ass Kicker." Kourtney and Paul laughed.

"Hey, you two," Jerry said.

He had been watching them laugh and talk for the past half hour. After filling out the necessary paperwork he needed to, he snuck back into the restaurant and sat at the table where they wouldn't see him. He wanted to give them their space.

"Sorry to cut this short, but we gotta head on home before your mom comes home to an empty house."

Kourtney sighed. Paul pulled out his wallet.

"It's okay, Paul. I already took care of it. You eat a lot," Jerry said with a laugh.

"He has a big appetite," Kourtney said.

Jerry and Paul exchanged a smile. Paul slid out of the booth and Kourtney followed.

"Go on, honey," Jerry told Kourtney. Again, she led the way. "It's gonne be fun when I finally tell her," Jerry told Paul.

"When will that be?"

"Ah, I think I'll wait until the dust settles. A lot has been going on and I think she can afford a break from any big news for a while."

Paul nodded.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" Jerry and Paul both said at the same time. Kourtney eyed them suspiciously. "You two go and do your good bye thing. Who knows when you'll see each other again. I'll wait in the car. I'll also be keeping an eye out, huh, Lahote?"

"Yes sir."

Kourtney smiled at Paul as they waited for her dad to disappear into the car. Paul quickly gave her a kiss.

"You just had to go and get yourself suspended and grounded, huh?" Paul teased. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I'll see you again, soon. What did you do to make my dad like you so much, huh?"

Paul shrugged.

"Everyone likes me," he said.

"Everyone not including Cody or my Mom right?" Paul shrugged again.

"I don't care. As long as you still like me."

Kourtney laughed and tiptoed to kiss him one last time.

"You have patrol tonight?" she asked. Paul nodded. "Okay, well I should go. I'll see you when I see you?"

Paul nodded. She gave one last kiss and headed towards her dad's car.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney and her dad arrived at home just at the right time. Only ten minutes after arriving home, her mom walked through the door from her shift at the hospital. Kourtney was on her bed pretending to read a book when her mom poked her head in.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said.

"Hi, Mom."

"How was your day?"

"You don't need to ask. You know I did nothing." Her mom nodded.

"I'm just gonna shower then take a quick nap and I'll have dinner ready. Where's your father?"

"I'm here," Jerry said as he stepped out of Cody's room. "I'm about to head out. I need to meet with the Council. I'll be home before dinner."

Cynthia only nodded then retreated to her room.

"I'll see you later, sweetie."

Kourtney bid him bye and disappeared into her own room. She saw Quil pass by his window and it reminded her that she wanted to talk to him. Earlier that morning she had seen him walking to school by himself. After Paul told her about Jacob's 'sickness' she wanted to see how he was doing.

Kourtney opened her window and picked up a pen that was on her nightstand. She chucked it at the Quil's window, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear. Kourtney waited. She looked around her room for something else to throw. When she found nothing that she was willing to part with, she dug around her drawer for another pen. She produced a few and chucked two at the same time.

Kourtney was ready to throw another one when Quil finally walked to his window. Kourtney smiled and wave. He opened his window.

"Hi!" She said. Quil only waved. "What's up?"

"Jacob's sick." He made sure to use air quotes when he said the word 'sick.'

"What makes you-"

"I was right. He is next! I bet you he'll be joining you and your friends during lunch now."

"Well, if he does, you'll probably know before I do."

"Oh yeah, you're suspended." Kourtney nodded. "So now you can't even sit with me this week when Jacob ditches me."

Kourtney sighed. She felt bad that Quil was so down.

"Don't worry about it until it happens, okay? You're not even sure yet."

Kourtney kept the what Paul told her in mind: it could take days to weeks for Jacob to phase. She hoped he would wait until her suspension was up so she could keep Quil company. She heard a door open.

"Gotta go!" Kourtney closed her window, making sure not to slam it shut. Then she jumped onto her bed just as her mom knocked on the door. Kourtney reached for her book just as the door opened.

"Kourt?"

"Mm?"

"I thought I heard talking."

"Yeah, me. I was reading out loud. A little too quiet for me right now."

"Want to help me with dinner?"

"Sure," Kourtney said as she tossed her book aside.

She followed her mom downstairs and helped like she said she would. They finished with dinner just as her dad came home.

"Just in time," she told him. The three took their seats, gave their thanks, and ate their dinner.

"How was your meeting with the Council?" Kourtney asked. "What was it about?"

"Just about what they expect me to do at my new job."

"Which is what exactly?" Cynthia asked.

"Just acting as an officer from the res working with the Forks PD. It's a way to bridge the two communities together I suppose."

"Sounds interesting," Cynthia said.

"And the Council wanted you to do this?" Kourtney asked. Jerry nodded.

"How was apartment hunting?" her mother asked. Kourtney looked up, fearing that her mother somehow found out.

"It was good," her dad replied, not even breaking a sweat. "Found a good one. Signed the papers and everything. Moving in on Friday."

"Already?" Kourtney asked. Her dad nodded. Kourtney sighed.

"I have the rest of the week off. I could use help with the packing," he said, looking at Kourtney.

"Well, I'll be here," Kourtney said lamely.

"I already have the boys helping me with the move on Friday."

"What boys?" Cynthia asked. Kourtney looked up, wondering the same thing.

"Sam, Embry, and, uh, Paul."

Kourtney looked over at her mom. She was clearly not happy with what her dad had said, but Kourtney was surprised when she said nothing. Kourtney and her dad smiled at one another. She mouthed a thank you and her dad gave a small nod. Even though Friday was still a few days away, she was happy to be able to see Paul again. She hated not being able to see him or to even hear his voice. Seeing him earlier that day felt like a dream to her. Kourtney knew she had to keep herself busy to make the days fly by until it was Friday again.  
.-~*~-.

Friday finally came and Kourtney was up early and dressed. She even made breakfast for her parents.

"You know that only Sam is coming for now right?" Jerry asked. "Embry and Paul still have school."

Kourtney nodded even though she totally forgot about school. She was so excited to see Paul, she half expected him to skip that day.

"Well, I guess I can help with some of the stuff then."

"Sam's not here with the truck yet."

"Like a U-Haul? You don't have that much stuff, dad."

"He's borrowing Paul's for the day. I guess we can load up what we can in that and take it to the apartment."

Sam eventually arrived in Paul's black truck. She helped with the boxes that she could carry. It only took them half an hour before the bed of the truck was full.

"I'm thinking we'll need a couple more trips," Sam said. "Paul and Embry will probably be here by then."

"Someone will be happy," Jerry said loudly.

"Dad!" Kourtney whined. Sam and Jerry laughed. "Will you be okay here by yourself?" Kourtney nodded.

"Unless you want me to come with and help set up the apartment?" Jerry thought about it.

"You're grounded remember?" Jerry said. Kourtney gave him a look. "It's okay sweetheart. Maybe when all the stuff is over then we can organize."

Kourtney nodded and went back into the house. She watched TV to pass the time. Kourtney kept a close watch on the clock and when it came time for school to be let out, she headed outside. She sat on the porch just as Quil appeared.

"Hey!" Kourtney cried. "What are you doing home so soon?"

"I left early," Quil said as he made his way up the pathway to her house.

"Why?"

"It's Friday. Might as well start my weekend early."

"Still no Jacob?" Kourtney asked.

"I'm telling you, he's not going to be hanging with me anymore. He's probably over at Emily's house with Embry."

Kourtney shook her head.

"Have you tried to visit him?"

"Nope. Old Quil told me not to." Kourtney sighed. "I'm telling you, Kourt. Jacob is probably with Paul and them."

"No," Kourtney said. "But Paul and Embry are coming here to help my dad move."

"What? Move where?"

"To Forks. He has a new job there and he wanted to be closer. And my parents are separating."

"I'm sorry," Quil said. "Maybe it's for the best?"

"That's what Paul said."

"I'd go crazy with all that yelling."

Kourtney only nodded. Even though she wasn't surprised that Quil heard, she was still somewhat embarrassed. The sound of a car approaching caught their attention. It was a dark blue sedan which belonged to Embry.

"I'll see you later Kourt!" Quil said.

He jogged over to the fence and hopped over. He quickly disappeared into his house. Kourtney stood up and crossed my arms as Paul and Embry made their way up.

"That wasn't my fault that time," Paul said, pointing to Quil's house. "I just got here!"

"You scared him away!"

"That's not my fault!" Paul cried. Kourtney laughed.

"Hey, Little Ass Kicker!"

"Hi Embry," Kourtney said. Paul wrapped his arms around Kourtney.

"Don't kiss her in front of me!"

"Then turn around!" Paul said before he leaned in and kiss her.

"Ugh, so you've become that couple now. At least you're not as bad as Jared and Kim."

Kourtney pulled away from the kiss.

"How's Jared by the way?"

"One hundred and ten percent healed! And he's milking the days off that Sam gave him!" Embry complained. "I mean, we gotta pick up his shift and then watch over-" Paul shoved Embry and nodded over at Quil's house. "Shit."

"I feel bad for him," Kourtney said in a lowered voice.

"For Jared?"

"No, for Quil. I'm pretty sure Jacob becoming a shifter means that he'll eventually be sitting with us?" Paul and Embry nodded. "Why? Why can't you two just be friends with him again?"

"Because it's dangerous. We might accidentally phase in front of him."

"You guys go to school with a couple hundred other people!" Paul and Embry got quiet.

"It's just when you're a new shifter it's a lot harder to control it. At least if Jacob stays with us, Embry and I can watch him and drag him out before anything happens."

"And honestly, once you phase…you sort of stay with your pack…"

Kourtney nodded. A beep from a car sounded and all three looked up to see Sam driving up in Paul's truck.

"Lahote! More working and less flirting with my daughter!" Jerry yelled from the front seat.

"I just got here!" Paul dared to reply.

"Don't encourage him!" Kourtney said. "I'll show you where the boxes are."

Kourtney went up the steps and Paul and Embry followed her.

.-~*~-.

Monday came around and Kourtney was finally on her way to school. She sat happily beside Paul in his truck, holding his hand.

Kourtney ignored the stares she received when she walked into the school. Paul put a protective arm around her.

"Hey," Leslie greeted. She was the first to do so. "How are you?"

"Glad to finally be out and about," Kourtney joked. Leslie laughed.

"I'm glad to see you out and about!" Kourtney smiled. "I'll see you two later."

"Bye."

"Kourtney!" Christy cried from the other side of the hallway. She ran to her friend and gave her a big hug. "I missed you! You and Kim left me with Paul and Embry last week!"

Kourtney laughed.

"Hey!"

"No offense," Christy told Paul.

She hooked onto Kourtney's arm and started catching her up on the week she missed. Kourtney looked back at Paul and gave him a small smile.

"I'll see you later, then," Paul said. "Thanks for that Christy!"

Kourtney laughed as Paul gave a smile and headed back to his locker. Since they didn't have classes until the afternoon, Paul wasn't able to see Kourtney until lunch time. He took the seat beside her and pecked her on the cheek. She placed a hand on his leg and continued to talk to Kim and Christy.

"What is this? Another one?" Christy cried.

Everyone at the table looked up to see Embry walking towards them with Jacob following behind him.

"Hey Little Ass Kicker!" Embry greeted, looking at Kourtney. He was ignored.

"Jacob!" Kourtney said in surprise.

She knew he had phased for the first time over the weekend, but she didn't expect him to be in school so soon. From what Paul told her, it took him a few weeks to turn back the first time.

"You look…well."

"Thanks," Jacob said with a smile. "I feel…good."

Kourtney nodded.

"We need another chair," Embry said just as Kourtney made eye contact with Quil.

He stood in the front of the cafeteria, tray in hand, looking at his two former best friends. He gave Kourtney a sad smile then started to walk towards an empty table. Kourtney looked at Paul, who was also looking at Quil. One look at Kourtney and Paul knew what she wanted. He gave her a smile and kissed her on the cheek again. She smiled back then stood up.

"Here you can take my seat," Kourtney said. "I was getting up anyway."

"Where you going?" Embry asked.

"I'll catch up with you guys later!"

Everyone except Paul watched as Kourtney approached Quil at the other side of the cafeteria.

"Hey, neighbor," Kourtney greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

Quil looked over at her former table where Embry and Jacob were watching them. He was surprised to see Paul not even looking their way.

"Your boyfriend won't mind?" Kourtney shook her head. "Are you sure he won't beat me up later on?" Kourtney laugh. "I'll make sure he doesn't."

Quil seemed to think it over some more. Finally, he nodded his head. Kourtney took the seat next to him. It wasn't long before Christy and Kim joined them.

"Look at you, sitting with three senior girls at lunch," Christy teased him.

"The three prettiest ones too," Quil said. The three girls laughed and Quil finally smiled.

.-~*~-.

"Hey, Kourt!" Jacob cried.

He weaved through the hallway, not caring whether or not he bumped into people. Kourtney waited for him at her locker.

"What's up Jake?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for sitting with Quil." Kourtney nodded. "This whole thing sucks. I mean, it's cool, I guess. But it sucks we have to leave Quil."

"It's alright. He has me now," Kourtney said with a smile. "And Christy and Kim." Jacob laughed.

"He better be careful. Paul may be okay with him stealing you but I don't know about Jared." Kourtney laughed.

"So how are you doing with…everything?"

Jacob drew a deep breath.

"Well, it's surreal. I thought they were talking crazy when they first told me about it. Then it happened..." Jacob shook his head. "It's weird. It's crazy, but cool. Did Paul tell you? I was the fastest at being able to phase back."

"No he didn't mention that."

"Of course he wouldn't. He took the longest," Jacob said with a smirk. "Also, I was right."

"Right about what?"

"Sam's gang. Except it's not really a gang." Kourtney laughed again.

"Well welcome to this craziness. I'm still trying to get used to it."

Jacob opened his mouth but quickly shut it. He almost mentioned her being Paul's imprint but remembered he had yet to tell her.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just gonna ask how you were taking it?" Kourtney shrugged.

"I guess I've slowly accepted that it is true. I mean, I can only take Paul's, Jared's, Embry's, Sam's, Emily's, Kim's, and now your word for it. Plus I did my own research and found out that even my dad believes in this stuff." Kourtney sighed. "It's just really crazy."

"It is," Jacob agreed.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"It's different for us. I mean we live it, so even though it's crazy, we accept it. I understand why it's harder for you. It sucks that Paul can't show you his wolf form. He's been dying to show off for you." Kourtney laughed.

"Well, maybe one day." The bell rang.

"I'll see you later, Kourt! Thanks again!"

Kourtney gave a wave and headed to her class. An arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder and she felt a pair of lips on her cheeks.

"You're the sweetest , you know that?" Paul said into her ear. Kourtney smiled up at Paul.

"Why? Because of Quil? I just felt bad for him. It sucks that he has to be alone."

"I know. Does this mean that you'll be sitting with him at lunch every day now?"

"Would you be okay with that?" Kourtney asked.

"No because that's less time I'd be able to spend with you, between your job and my patrolling." Kourtney nodded. "But," Paul continued. "I shouldn't stop you from being a good friend. You'll just have to make up more time for me."

"I know," she said. "I will, okay? Thank you for being so understanding."

.-~*~-.

Kourtney and Paul entered La Push High hand in hand. Kourtney let out an 'Aw' as she saw all the Valentine's Day love in the air. The halls were decorated with pink and red hearts and students walked around holding roses, balloons, and other Valentine's gifts they received.

Paul tugged at her to keep walking. She walked up to her locker as Paul walked to his. Upon opening it, found a small red box on the shelf. Kourtney smiled at the familiarity. She looked over at Paul who seemed too preoccupied with his locker. She took the box down and red the short message written on it.

 _Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you like it._

 _\- P_

Kourtney opened the box and let out a laugh as she saw a wolf charm to add to her bracelet. She made her way over to Paul and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, babe," she told him. "I love this!"

Paul smiled and gave her a kiss. He watched as she fastened it onto her bracelet then admired it.

"And as usual, I have no present for you."

"It's alright. I don't need anything. Maybe just more time with you." Kourtney sighed.

"I know. It sucks that I have to work tonight." Paul nodded.

"Don't worry about it. There'll be other Valentine's."

ourtney smiled at what he said. Her heart swelled with love for him. She knew she had to make things up to him.

.-~*~-.

Later on that night, Kourtney was busy on her feet, running around the restaurant. Since it was Valentine's day, the restaurant was busy with couples celebrating the holiday. Even after they closed the doors at 9, there were still several couples finishing up with their dinner.

"You look tired, sweetheart," Alicia said as Kourtney sat on a stool at the counter.

"I am exhausted."

"Why don't you go ahead and take off?"

"No, it's okay. I'm sure they'll finish up soon," Kourtney said, glancing around the restaurant at the remaining customers.

"No, it's not okay! You missed out on your own Valentine!" Kourtney laughed.

"I know. It's okay. There's always next year," she said. Alicia smiled.

"That's good to hear. Hopefully there'll be many more Valentine's for you and Paul." Kourtney smiled. "Go on, sweetheart. Go home and get your sleep. You still have school tomorrow."

Kourtney wanted to argue, but was stopped by Alicia holding her hand up.

"Consider it parting gift for you."

Kourtney smiled.

"Okay."

She hopped off the stool, her feet throbbing with pain. She headed to the back to clock out and to grab her things. She went to say bye to the remaining staff in the kitchen and ended up talking with them longer than she anticipated.

"There you are!" Alicia said as she burst through the kitchen doors. "I thought you snuck out on me."

"I thought you said I could go?" Kourtney said confused.

"Yes, yes! Come on!" Alicia put her hands on Kourtney's shoulders and guided her out of the kitchen.

Kourtney stopped when she saw that the lights in the main area of the restaurant were dimmed. She noticed two candles lit on top of a table in the middle of the restaurant.

"What is this?" Kourtney asked.

Alicia giggled in response. Kourtney's mouth opened in surprise as Paul appeared with a single rose for her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, again," Paul said.

Kourtney smiled and approached him. She couldn't help but notice the nice way he was dressed. It made her self-conscious since she'd been running around in her waitress uniform.

As if reading her mind, Paul told her, "You look beautiful, babe. As always." Kourtney blushed.

She took the rose from him as he led her to the table.

"You planned this?"

"The second you told me you had to work," Paul said. "Surprised?"

"Very. I'm impressed, too." Alicia showed up with their dinners. She smiled at the couple and watched them.

"Alicia! Give the two their space!"

Alicia hushed her husband before eventually going back into the kitchen. The two began eating. After a couple minutes of silence, Kourtney finished whatever food she had in her mouth and washed it down with water.

"So," she said. "I made a decision today."

"About what?" Paul asked.

"About spending more time together." Paul looked at Kourtney, waiting for her to elaborate. She smiled. "I told Alicia that I was going to quit."

"What?" Paul said. He started coughing then gulped down his glass of water. "Wait, babe, you quit? Why? I thought you wanted to work."

"I mean, I do. But I really don't need the money right now. Besides, I barely see you and now that my dad is living in Forks, it'll be harder to see him if I'm always working or at school. I mean, this way I can spend my weekends in Forks with my dad and you'll have me all after school. That is if you're not busy with your patrolling."

Paul didn't know how to feel. He appreciated that Kourtney was doing something so that they could spend time together, but he didn't want her to give up her job.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Am I sure that I want to spend more time with my boyfriend? Hmm…let me think," joked Kourtney. "Of course I'm sure!"

Paul finally smiled. He leaned across the table to give her a kiss.

"Thanks babe."

"Don't thank me yet. There's more!"

"What?"

"I don't know if I should tell you. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"It's not a surprise if you tell me it's a surprise," Paul told her.

"Yeah, but you won't know what it is!"

"Babe, you can't do that! You gotta tell me now!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything-"

"But you did," Paul said.

"Well, I was thinking that this weekend we can go out on the boat and go fishing?"

"Really?" Paul asked, surprised.

"I talked to your dad earlier when I got in. He said it's supposed to be good, decent weather for fishing. It might be a little cold, but you'll be there." Paul smiled. "What do you think?"

"I think I have the best girlfriend a guy could ask for."

"You are so cheesy," Kourtney cried then laughed. Paul laughed along with her. He stopped and watched as Kourtney tried to yawn discreetly.

"You ready to go?" he asked. Kourtney shook her head.

"No, I'm fine!" But her body language said otherwise. Paul could see the tiredness in her eyes.

"Let's go, babe."

He stood up first so that she wouldn't argue. Already having paid for the dinner, Paul offered Kourtney his arm and he led her out. Kourtney snuggled at his side, happy with the surprise Paul sprang on her. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to finally be with Paul Lahote.

.-~*~-.

Paul showed up at Kourtney's house the morning of the following Monday. He was surprised when her mom answered the door. He put on a smile, even though he knew he was her least favorite person.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hunt."

Cynthia offered a tight smile.

"Kourtney won't be going to school," she told him. "She's sick. I tried waking her up earlier, but her temperature is through the roof!" She noted the concern on his face. "She'll be fine. I'll be staying home to take care of her."

"Okay."

"Do you think you can get her homework for her and drop it by later? I'll let her know you'll be stopping by."

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Thank you, Paul. Have a good day!"

Paul thanked her and went to his truck. Kourtney not being a school made Paul want to ditch it even more. But he remember his promise to her. He couldn't afford to miss school just because he didn't feel like it. He had to save those missed days for the important reasons, like something pack related. Paul somewhat got his wish when he got to school and was immediately greeted by Embry and Jacob.

"What's going on?" Paul asked, seeing the serious look on their faces.

"Seth Clearwater is showing signs."

"What?" Paul asked in surprise.

"Isn't he like 12?"

"Fourteen," Jacob corrected.

"Damn leeches." Paul was angry for Seth. He would be the youngest shapeshifter in their pack. He was concerned on how he would take the big changes coming his way. "Who's watching him now?"

"Sam and Old Quil are headed over there today for the orientation."

The two friends laughed.

"Who's watching him afterwards?"

"Jared most likely. Then you."

"I can't," Paul said. "One of you will have to do it."

"I don't want to do it!" Embry cried. Paul looked at Jacob.

"Sam still wants someone watching me. Even though I pretty much got phasing down."

"Shut up!" The two friends started a shoving match.

"Hey!" Paul yelled, getting the attention of everyone else in the hallway. He sent a sweeping glare and they went back to minding their own business. "Can't you two supervise?"

"Nope. We're going down the chain of command. Sam first, then Jared, then you." Paul groaned.

Having to babysit Seth Clearwater meant that he had to cut his time short with Kourtney later on that day. Paul also had the late night patrol that night. Before he could think of another argument, Embry reminded him, "You know Sam will make it alpha's orders."

Paul groaned again.

"Powers of the alpha," Jacob told him. "Man, I wish I was alpha."

.-~*~-.

It was the middle of the week and Paul entered the school feeling like a zombie. After sleeping away the previous day, Paul stayed up for the late night patrol again. He was tempted to stay home again, but the thought of seeing Kourtney was his only motivation in going in. He couldn't wait until she didn't have to work anymore. The pack had been extra busy running patrols and watching over Seth Clearwater. Even though Jacob had phasing under control, Sam still wanted at least one of them to stay with him, just in case.

Paul bypassed the school office. He knew that either his dad or one of the Council members would take care of his absence and tardy that day. He entered the cafeteria, quickly seeing Embry and Jacob at their usual table. He looked around for Kourtney. Paul spotted Quil sitting with Kim and Christy, but no Kourtney.

"Hey, where's Kourt?" he asked as he approached their table.

"Still out sick."

"She is?" Paul asked.

"You didn't know?" Christy asked.

"I was busy yesterday. I assumed she was busy playing catch up at school then at work."

"I'm sure she's fine. I mean, tis the season for getting sick."

"I wouldn't know," Paul joked. Only Kim laughed.

"What did he mean?" her heard Christy ask as he headed for his own table with his friends.

"Still no Kourt?" Embry asked. Paul shook his head.

"She must be really sick," Paul said, starting to worry.

"Have you seen her?" Jacob asked.

"Only on Monday for like five minutes. She didn't look that sick to me."

"Do you think…" Embry trailed off. "Never mind."

"What?"

He took a deep breath.

"I don't know. I was just thinking, it seems like people are phasing a lot closer together. I mean Jake just did over the weekend and now Seth is showing signs."

"Your point?"

"Can girls be shapeshifters too?"

"No," Paul said shaking his head. "That's not possible."

"You think Kourtney is going to phase too?" Jacob asked. He was still new to the pack, but even he didn't think it was possible for girls to phase.

"She's not!" Paul cried. "She's just sick."

"Yeah, plus she's still short," laughed Jacob.

"What if it's different for girls?"

Paul shook his head again.

"Shut up, Call! My girlfriend is not gonna phase!"

"Just a thought," Embry mumbled.

The thought of Kourtney being one of them bothered Paul. It was something he wouldn't want her to be a part of. It would mean she would give up her dream of moving out of the res. As much as he didn't want that to happen, he knew she'd hate being stuck at the res indefinitely. Then there was the fact that she'd be able to see and hear every single thought he had when he was phased. Paul shook the thoughts away. Kourtney was not going to be a shapeshifter.

.-~*~-.

After school, Paul rushed to Kourtney's house to see how she was. He stood impatiently in front of her door, knocking after the doorbelling didn't come up with a response. He was ready to go around to the backyard when he heard the lock unlock.

"Paul, what the hell?" Kourtney said, irritably.

"Sorry, baby. I was just worried about you," he told her. He made a move to step inside but she stopped him.

"No! You're gonna get sick, too." Paul laughed.

"I'll be fine."

"No-"

"Babe, we don't get sick."

Kourtney frowned at him, then she realized what he meant by 'we.'

"Are you sure?" Paul nodded. She slowly stepped aside and Paul made his way in. He leaned in for a kiss but she stepped back.

"I feel gross right now, don't get near me," she said as she walked towards the living room. Paul smiled and went to wrap his arms around her anyway.

"You're always beautiful." Kourtney rolled her eyes, but she smiled. They both settled onto the couch. Paul could see that it was where Kourtney spent most of her day. The coffee table was covered with snacks and magazines.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said. "Just so hot!"

He placed a hand on her forehead and felt how hot it was.

"You have a fever?"

"Yeah. Good thing my mom is a nurse. I didn't feel like going to the hospital, so she let me stay home. She just calls me every hour thought to check on my temp."

"Has it been going down?"

"No, it's been a constant 101."

"How do you feel though?"

"Fine, really. I was worse a couple of days ago then my cough and sniffles went away yesterday but the fever stayed."

"Has Sam visited?"

"No," Kourtney said. "Why would he visit?"

"I thought Emily would send something over," Paul said. He didn't want to share Embry's thought that she may be showing signs of phasing.

"Everything okay?" Paul nodded. "How's Jake doing?"

"Good. Uh, Seth is showing signs, too."

"What? Clearwater?" Paul nodded. "Isn't he too young?"

Paul shrugged.

"We've been taking turns watching him. And one of us also as to stay with Jacob too until Sam things he can be on his own."

"So you guys have been busy, huh?"

Paul nodded.

"I'm supposed to go on patrol soon. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were though."

"I'm fine" Kourtney said with a smile. "I guess I don't have to finish work this week. So I'm officially unemployed again." Paul smiled. "I guess it's a good thing you're immune to sickness, huh?"

"Another perk."

"Tell me more," Kourtney said, turning to face Paul. "What else can you guys do?"

Paul looked surprise at her question.

"What? I thought you wanted me to know more about this whole shapeshifter business." Paul laughed.

"I do. Uh, well, we have super hearing, we heal fast, run fast, jump high."

"So you're like a superhero."

"Yes, we are the superheroes of La Push," Paul laughed. "Too bad everyone else thinks otherwise."

Kourtney shrugged.

"Who cares about them?"

"Not me. I only care about you." He pulled her closer to him and hugged her. "I'm glad that I can finally talk about this without you feeling weird about it."

"I just needed time," Kourtney said. She pulled back and looked at him. "But, just to be honest, I will not completely believe you until I see you in your full wolf glory."

Paul laughed and Kourtney laughed with him.

"Well, hopefully Sam will ease up on the rules. But I think I'm pretty good at controlling myself now."

"So, as shapeshifters, you guys protect the res from the Cold Ones?" Paul didn't react. "They're like vampires right?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he said. He saw the look of fear on her face.

"So they go around drinking people's blood? Like how would I know if I'm talking to a vampire or not? Oh my God, what if I've come across one before?"

"Hold on, it takes you almost a month to believe in shapeshifters and only a minute to believe in vampires?" He laughed. "Don't worry about them, babe, okay? We know how to do our job." He gave her a kiss. "I should go. Jared's probably waiting for me."

Kourtney noted at how quick Paul changed the subject and avoided talking more about vampires. She wondered if there was more to it than that. She started to get up.

"No, you stay and rest. I'll call you later okay? Feel better. I miss you at school. You know you're the only reason why I go." Kourtney smiled.

"Well, I'm trying, but this fever just won't go away. Is this how you guys always feel?"

Her question, even if it was asked as a joke, got Paul thinking about her possibly phasing. He only gave her a smile then headed out. Paul rushed over to Emily's, hoping to catch Sam before he had to go on patrol.

"Sam here?" Paul asked once inside. Embry and Jacob both looked over to the sofa where Sam sat with Emily.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked. "I just got back from Kourtney's-"

"Did she get taller yet?" Jacob asked. He and Embry laughed, causing Paul to frown.

"What's going on? Is Kourtney okay?"

"She's sick-"

"She's phasing."

"Shut up!" Paul cried at his two pack brothers.

"What?" Emily asked.

"Embry thinks Kourtney is going to phase next. She's just sick."

"Girls can't be shifters, too, can they?" Emily asked Sam, who shook his head.

"She could be the first ever female shapeshifter!" Embry said. "Then you can spend even more time with her Paul."

"Dude, then she'll know what we talk about during our patrols! Paul, she'll find out all those thoughts you have about her."

Paul lunged at Jacob who quickly jumped over the couch.

"Enough!" Sam boomed. The two boys stopped. "Kourtney is not phasing. She is just sick. There are no female shifters. It's just not possible."

"How sure are you?" Paul asked him. Sam looked at him.

"I'm pretty sure. Why?"

"She said she's had a constant fever at 101 for the last few days. She doesn't even look sick. She says she doesn't even feel sick either."

Sam thought about what he said.

"I'll talk to Old Quil, but I'm sure you have nothing to worry about Paul."

"Unless she does become one of us," Embry said. "I wonder how imprinting would work for her. What if she ends up imprinting on someone else?"

Paul couldn't take the thought of Kourtney possibly imprinting on someone else and being with them instead. He turned and headed for the door.

"Paul! She is not going to phase! You have nothing to worry about!" Sam called after him.

* * *

 **AN:** This is the longest chapter so far! I have you all enjoyed! Keep them reviews coming! I love reading your feedback! Tell me what you think will happen next! I am trying to write each chapter as though it is the whole month in the story. With that being said, unless I end up splitting chapters, there will be about three or four chapters left! Eek!


	31. Chapter 31

"Little Ass Kicker!" Embry cried when he saw Kourtney hop out of Paul's truck. "You're back! And still short!"

Kourtney frowned at Embry and Jacob who were both laughing.

"Shut up," Paul said, appearing beside Kourtney.

"I bet you're relieved, huh?" Jacob told Paul.

"What are they going on about?" Kourtney asked.

Paul shrugged and took Kourtney's hand. He glared at the younger teens as they passed them by.

"Aren't you going to tell her, Paul?" Embry asked.

"Tell me what?" Kourtney asked.

"He thought-"

"It's nothing," Paul told her. He turned to Embry. "Drop it, Call!"

"Aw, come on, Paul. Don't you want your girlfriend to know how you thought-" Jacob was cut off by Paul punching him.

"Paul!" Kourtney cried. She took a step to pull him away but was pulled back by Embry. It was good timing since Jacob took that exact moment to lunge back at Paul who swiftly avoided him.

"Guys, stop!" Embry called. The two ignored him as Jacob threw a punch which connected with Paul's left cheek.

"Jake, stop it!"

"I got this babe," Paul told her as he charged at Jacob and rammed him against Embry's car. Jacob flew up and landed on the back window.

"My fucking car!" Embry yelled. His trunk was dented and the back window was slightly shattered. His fists balled up and he took a step towards the two.

"No, Embry!" Kourtney cried, trying to pull Embry back. She eventually let go when she realized she was unmatched against Embry's strength. Panic rose as she wondered how she could stop three shapeshifters from kicking each other's asses. A crowd was slowly starting to form. She then thought about how much trouble the guys would be in, especially Paul.

"Hey, assholes! What the hell are you doing?" Jared's voice cried. Kourtney felt relief was over her as she saw the older teen approach them, hand in hand with Kim. He quickly ran and intercepted Embry. "Get Jacob!"

Jared pushed him towards his friend and Embry reluctantly held Jacob back from going after Paul. Jared, meanwhile, faced Paul and pushed him against his truck.

"What the hell, Lahote?" Jared cried. "You know better than this!"

Paul tried to take Jared's grip off of him. Paul was still glaring at Jacob. He let out a small growl.

"Think of Kourtney, you idiot!" At the mention of his girlfriend's name, Paul looked over at her. She stood with Kim, looking shocked at what just happened. Paul's anger went away and was quickly replaced by a feeling of shame. Paul shrugged off Jared and started walking away, away from the school.

"Paul!" Jared held up his hand to her.

"Let him cool off," Jared told her. Kourtney nodded. Jared watched as his own girlfriend urged Kourtney into the school. He turned to Embry and Jacob.

"He started it!" Jacob cried, pointing to Embry who looked surprised at Jacob's accusation. "I don't know why Paul went for me instead of him!" Jared groaned. He knew why: Bella Swan, Jacob's crush. Ever since Jacob turned, he learned about the Cold Ones. It didn't long for him to realize that Bella's ex-boyfriend was one, making him an enemy.

Only recently did Jacob start bugging Sam to let him tell Bella, but Sam refused. His thoughts about Bella invaded the other members' thoughts when they were all phased. While it was a bit entertaining, Paul was the most annoyed out of all of them. Jared was guessing that whatever went on between the three was enough for Paul to want to go after Jacob.

"Just get to class," Jared finally said, not wanting to share his thoughts.

"Wait! Who the hell is gonna fix my car!" Embry cried.

 **.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.**

Kourtney pulled up to her house, curious about the orange pick-up parked in front of the Ateara's residence. Kourtney saw Quil in front of his house with a girl she didn't recognize. Kourtney got out of her car and headed up her pathway.

"Hey, neighbor!" Kourtney called.

She was curious about Quil's visitor. With her pale skin and dark brown hair, it was obvious she wasn't Quileute.

"Hey, Kourtney! Uh, this is Bella Swan. She lives in Forks."

"Bella?" Kourtney asked, making sure she heard correctly.

"Yeah," Bella said, nodding her head then looking away. Kourtney looked her up and down.

"Chief Swan's daughter?" Kourtney asked. Bella nodded. At that point, Kourtney was sure that the Bella who stood before her was the same exact Bella that Jacob had a crush on. For reasons she didn't know, it was a crush that Sam and Paul weren't fans of. From what she saw, Kourtney thought Bella to be harmless. She was awkward and shy, but she didn't give off any bad vibes. Kourtney finally flashed her a smile.

"I'm Kourtney Hunt," she said, extended out her hand. Bella took it and gave it a quick shake. "It's nice to meet you!"

"You're Jerry Hunt's daughter right?"

Kourtney nodded.

"Your dad is my dad's boss," Kourtney laughed. Bella gave a small laugh too. Kourtney continued to wonder what made Paul and Sam dislike her. "What are you two up to?"

"Bella just gave me a ride," Quil said. "I was just telling her about Jake."

"Yeah, I've been worried about him. I haven't heard from him in a while."

Before Kourtney could say anything, Quil jumped in.

"I told her that he's joined Sam's gang."

"Is that true?" Bella asked, noticing how Kourtney suddenly straightened up.

"No," she replied just as Quil said, "Yes."

Quil gave her a look.

"Yes, he did. Right, Kourt?" Quil turned to Bella. "Her boyfriend is part of Sam's gang, too."

"He is not!" Kourtney cried.

Bella and Quil looked at her with surprise. Ever since Kourtney became more open with believing in the whole shape shifting business, the guys seemed even more comfortable around her. They were able to talk more about their patrols and their jokes made more sense to her now. She was also told all about shapeshifting and felt as though she was trusted with the La Push's biggest secret.

"Paul is not in Sam's gang. Neither is Jacob! There is no gang!" Kourtney looked at Bella. "Jake is fine, okay? He's probably just been busy."

"Yeah, busy hanging out with-"

"Quil!" Kourtney stared him down.

He eventually looked away and down to the ground. Kourtney felt bad, but she also felt protective over Paul and the guys. She didn't like the idea of a non-Quileute learning about the packs, and she knew that the guys wouldn't like it either. She began to wonder if that was the reason for her boyfriend's dislike towards Bella.

"Look, I understand that you're concerned about Jake," Kourtney continued, softening her voice. She looked from Bella to Quil who still avoided her gaze. "But Jake is fine. I'll let him know that you were asking about him."

Bella nodded.

"I'll see you around, Quil."

With that, Kourtney made a move to head to her house, but she stopped and backtracked. Quil looked at her uncertainly as she studied him.

"Did you…" she began to say and then stopped.

She could've sworn that Quil was only a couple of inches taller than her. Now, it seemed like he was a good half foot taller. She reached for his hand.

"What are you doing?" Quil asked.

"Nothing," she said as she let go of his hands. They were hot; much like Paul's were. "I'll see you later."

Kourtney rushed up the steps to her house. Once inside, she looked through the peep hole and watched as Bella Swan got into her truck and drove away. Quil walked up to the front of his house and disappeared from view. Kourtney felt hope rise up inside her: Quil may join his two best friends after all.

 **.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.**

Kourtney heard the booming laughs of the guys as she pulled in front of Emily's house. She smiled as she imagined their reactions once she told them about Quil. After trying to reach Paul all morning, she couldn't wait any longer and decided to just meet them at Emily's.

She ran up the stairs.

"Hey, guys!" she said once she entered. "Ten bucks says I know who's the next shapeshift-" Kourtney stopped herself when she saw Bella seated at the table between Jacob and Paul. "Oh, hi."

Bella gave a small smile before looking away.

"Uh, Kourtney, this is Bella. Bella, this is Kourtney, Paul's girlfriend," Jacob said. Kourtney gave a smile.

"Now that that's out of the way," Embry said. "You were saying something about the next shapeshifter?"

Kourtney's eyes widened. She looked around and was surprised to see that no one else shared her reaction.

"Uh, what?" Kourtney asked.

"She knows, Kourt," Jacob laughed.

"Who knows? And what?"

"Bella knows that we turn into giant werewolves."

"Oh," Kourtney replied. "Wait, you knew even since yesterday?"

"Yesterday?" Paul asked. He was ignored as Bella shook her head to answer Kourtney's question.

"I actually just found out earlier today."

Kourtney eyed Bella who seemed completely normal for someone who just found out about shapeshifters. Then she looked at Jacob.

"You told her? I thought you weren't allowed to say anything."

"I didn't," Jacob smirked.

"Jacob here found a loop hole," Emily said, appearing at the doorway.

"And your boyfriend was actually the one who gave it away," Embry said.

"Shut up," Paul groaned.

"You gave it away? How?" Kourtney asked.

"He phased in front of Bella," Embry told her.

"What?" Kourtney cried. "You phased in front of her?"

"She slapped me!"

"She what?" Kourtney asked, suddenly getting defensive of her boyfriend.

"Uh oh," cried Embry with a smile.

Kourtney looked at Bella. "Is that true? You slapped my boyfriend?"

Bella nodded.

"Oh shit," Embry said. "Girl fight!"

"Embry!" Emily scolded.

"Be careful, Bella. Kourtney just got done doing time for fighting two girls at school."

"I was suspended for a week!" Kourtney cried. She looked back to Bella. "So what'd Paul do to deserve being slapped?"

"Babe!"

"Nothing," Bella said quietly. She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, Paul. I was just worried about Jake and after talking with Kourtney yesterday-"

"Wait, yesterday?" Jacob asked.

"Oh we met yesterday," Kourtney said with a smile. She made her way to Paul who pulled her onto his lap.

"Yeah, I was giving Quil a ride home and we bumped into Kourtney."

"And speaking of Young Ateara," Kourtney said, her smile getting wider. "Now that I can say this freely, I think that Quil will be joining you guys soon."

"Really?" Embry asked, his excitement clearly evident.

"How do you know?" Jacob asked.

"Growth spurt and he's hot."

Embry laughed.

"Hey, Paul did you hear that? Kourtney thinks Quil is-"

"I know what she means, idiot." Kourtney rolled her eyes as Emily groaned. Bella giggled to herself. Her giggling brought Jacob's attention back to her. Kourtney watched as Jake placed his hand over Bella's.

"Still worried about me?" Jacob asked her. Bella gave a small smile and shook her head. Kourtney studied how Jacob looked at Bella. It was clear to her that he really liked Bella. It made her wonder why her own boyfriend didn't approve of Jacob's crush on her.

 **.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.**

Kourtney stood off to the side of the group that gathered in front of the ocean. The sound of the waves barely muffled the crying that scattered throughout the crowd. She glanced at her mother who was one of the criers. She watched as her dad pulled her mother close to him, enveloping her into an embrace. Kourtney looked away, but not before she saw her dad place a kiss on her mom's head. Despite the circumstances, Kourtney felt a swell of hope for her parents.

Kourtney scolded herself for thinking of her parents getting back together while a funeral was going on. She looked up at the canoe which carried the body of Harry Clearwater. Old Quil sat at the head of the canoe; since he was the Head of the Council, he was one of the few who would escort Harry's body across the waters and onto the island. The island was where special members of the Quileute tribe were laid to rest.

"Jerry," Billy called. He was seated in his wheelchair and was unable to join in the ride to the island. Her father, however, with being a new member of the Council, was able to. Kourtney watched again as he gave her mom a tight hug and offered a smile before turning to her. She gave him a smile.

"Watch your mother," he told her as he passed her by. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and climbed onto the canoe.

"We're just waiting on Jake and Sam," she heard Billy say. This prompted Kourtney to look around. None of the pack members were present. Kourtney knew they were busy since the Clearwater siblings both phased the week before. Also, with Quil showing signs, they needed an eye on him too.

As Kourtney scanned the beach, she saw two tall figures emerge: Jacob and Sam. The two silently made their way to the canoe. Kourtney looked back, hoping to see Paul. Old Quil's voice brought her attention back to the ceremony. He started a chant which led to the members following. Everyone stayed where they were as the Sam and Jacob began to row the canoe towards the island. The crowd slowly thinned out as people made their way back to their cars.

Kourtney looked around for her mom. She soon spotted her in an embrace with Sue Clearwater. She approached them quietly, not wanting to intrude. Sue pulled away and wiped the fresh tears from her eyes while Cynthia did the same.

"Hi, sweetheart," Sue greeted, smiling through her tears. Kourtney stepped forward and gave the grieving widow a hug.

"I'm sorry," Kourtney said. Sue only nodded.

"We should get going to the gym. Everyone is heading there for the continuing celebration."

Sue gave her another squeeze before letting her go. Cynthia wrapped an arm around Kourtney and the two followed behind Sue. It didn't take long to arrive at the school gym. Most of the community was present, wanting to celebrate Harry's life one last time.

Kourtney navigated towards the food, looking around as she walked. She still had yet to see Paul or any of the other guys. As she neared the refreshments, she made out Kim and Christy standing off to the side. Kourtney approached her friends.

"Hey," she greeted. The cousins gave her a smile. "How are you guys?"

"We're okay," Christy said.

"How's-" Kourtney stopped. She was about to ask how the Clearwater siblings were doing, but she quickly remembered about Christy.

"They're…adjusting," Kim replied anyway.

"Where are they?" Christy asked. "You two are talking about Leah and Seth right? I didn't see them at all today."

"Well, it's hard on them, I bet," Kim told her. Kourtney nodded. From what Paul told her, Leah phasing was a complete shock for all of them, especially Harry. After Leah phased, Harry suffered a heart attack. It didn't take long for Seth to follow with phasing.

"Kourtney!" Kourtney turned around. She put on a smile as she noticed who called for her.

"Mrs. Skye! Hi!" Kourtney gave her friends a quick wave and made a move to meet with her ex-boyfriend's mom. She wasn't expecting her to envelop her into a hug.

"How are you?" Kourtney asked when Mrs. Skye took a step back.

"Long time no see, dear. Just because my son let you get away doesn't mean you had to stop dropping by! I miss seeing your pretty face around." Kourtney only smiled. "How are you doing? Have you heard back from any colleges yet?"

"Yeah, just a few."

"Would UCLA happen to be one of them? Alex just loves it there! He's having the time of his life, it seems!"

"I bet," Kourtney replied. She looked past Mrs. Skye as Paul entered the gym alongside his dad. He gave her a smile and she felt her heart skip a beat. She gave a quick smile before focusing back on her conversation with Mrs. Skye. "I actually already made a decision and it's not UCLA."

"Where then?" Mrs. Skye asked.

"I, uh, I decided to just stay in-state and go to UW."

Paul, who had been listening from the other side of the room, was surprised to hear Kourtney's choice for college. He didn't even know that Kourtney got accepted in UW, not that he was surprised. He made his way towards her and Alex's mom.

"Paul, hi," Mrs. Skye said. The smile she gave him didn't reach her eyes and it was clear that she no longer favored Paul.

"Hi, Mrs. Skye," Paul said politely. "How are you?"

"I've been good, thank you." She eyed how Paul slipped his arm around Kourtney's waist.

"Well, I'll see you two kids around."

Once she was out of earshot, Paul turned to Kourtney.

"She hates us," he said.

"Uh, she hates you. She still loves me," she said, with a smile.

"She still loves you for her Alex." Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"You broke her heart when you told her about not choosing UCLA," Paul teased.

"Do you normally eavesdrop on people's conversations?"

"No, just yours," he said, simply. Kourtney laughed. "Are you really going to UW?"

"I am," she said with a smile. Paul smiled back. He took her hands into his and placed a kiss on them. "As happy as I am to hear that, I hope you're not choosing UW just because of me."

Kourtney let out a gasp.

"You are so full of yourself. I didn't choose UW because of you! I chose it for my parents!"

"Oh, sorry-" Kourtney laughed. "But you were a huge reason, too."

Paul smiled again.

"So," Kourtney took Paul's hand in hers and urged him to walk with her. They found an empty table that provided enough privacy. "How are Leah and Seth?"

Paul sighed and shook his head.

"Leah blames herself for Harry's heart attack. She pretty much made it clear that she hated what she was. Seth on the other hand, his emotions are everywhere and Leah isn't helping him." Kourtney nodded. "On top of that, we're watching Quil. He knows what's going on now and he's doing everything he can to try and phase for the first time." Paul rubbed his face. Kourtney rubbed Paul's back, seeing the exhaustion on his face. "I gotta go, babe. I was just stopping by to see how Sue was doing and see you. Then I gotta trade off with Jared so he can come here, too."

Kourtney nodded and stood up as Paul did. He took her hand into his and walked through the gym, navigating the way to Sue. Kourtney avoided making eye contact with her mom and Mrs. Skye who were talking beside Sue.

"Paul! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing and pay my respects. I missed earlier-"

"Don't worry about it," Sue said. "I know you had other responsibilities to deal with." Paul nodded. Kourtney looked from Sue and Paul, wondering if she heard right. "How are my babies?"

"We're trying our best to help them adjust," Paul told her.

"Thank you, Paul," Sue said as she gave him a hug. Kourtney dared to look at her mother. She bit back a smile as she saw the shocked look her mom's face as well as on Mrs. Skye's.

"You and the guys are angels," Sue continued.

"We look out for our own," Paul told her. Sue caught Kourtney's eyes and smiled. Kourtney realized that Sue did know about the shifters.

"I'll see you later babe," Paul said beside her.

"Yeah," Kourtney replied. Paul kissed the top of her head and gave her hand a squeeze before leaving the gym. Kourtney looked after him and she felt her heart ache for him already.

"I hope my kids shape up soon and stop taking away time you could be spending with Paul," Sue said to Kourtney.

"It's okay," Kourtney said. "I understand." Sue gave her a smile.

"What was he talking about?" Mrs. Skye asked, stepping closer to Sue and Kourtney.

"Nothing. He and the boys have just been helping Seth and Leah get through this tough time." Kourtney didn't miss the eyeroll from her mother.

"Paul is a good kid. He's definitely done a lot of growing up. Kourtney is in good hands with him." Sue gave Kourtney's hand a squeeze. Kourtney felt appreciation for Sue Clearwater's kind words. Even if her mom still didn't approve of Paul for her, she was glad that someone else could see Paul how she saw him.

 **.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.**

Kourtney eased her car to a stop in front of Paul's house. He missed another day of school and she hadn't talked to him since the day before when he left school early. She initially drove straight to Emily's but was surprised when she was told that Paul was at home. Kourtney knew that Leah and Seth were still having trouble phasing back. Embry also broke the news that Quil phased for the first time, too. Between their new members, the shifters had a lot on their plate.

Kourtney got out of her car and walked up to Paul's front door. She knocked loudly, hoping it was enough to rouse Paul out of his sleep. She waited a couple of minutes after knocking for a second before turning to leave. She was half way to her car when the door opened.

"Kourt!" Paul called. Kourtney turned back and beamed. She quickly walked back to him. When she was close enough she launched herself into his arms.

"I know it's only been a day, but I missed you!" Kourtney told him. Paul chuckled.

"I'm sorry, babe. Things have been-"

"Hectic," she finished for him. "Embry told me."

"He did?" Paul asked, setting her down. "What did he tell you exactly?"

"That Quil phased yesterday and Leah and Seth have yet to phase back." Paul looked at her as if he expected her to say more. When she didn't, he nodded. He was making sure that Embry didn't slip up about their leech problem. Paul still didn't want Kourtney to know too much about that aspect of being a shapeshifter.

"You look exhausted," Kourtney noted. Paul gave a reassuring smile. He took her hand and led her into the house. They made their way into the living room where they settled onto the couch. "So aside from things being hectic, how is everything? Everyone?"

Paul shook his head.

"How are _you_?" he asked instead. "You're always asking about me and the guys. What's going on with you?"

Kourtney laughed.

"You know nothing ever happens with me. At least, nothing compared to your life." Paul scoffed. "But, my parents have been getting along since the funeral."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, uh, my dad has actually been over a few times. Actually he's been over almost every single day." Paul bit the inside of his cheek. He already knew about Jerry's constant presence on the res; the man was taking his new role on the Council seriously. And with three new shifters, he was constantly wanting to know everything. "It's like how it was before."

Paul nodded. "Wait, what?"

Kourtney gave him a look.

"Sorry, I'm just tired. I must've spaced out."

"Well, I let you rest then-"

"No, babe! I'm alright! I'm good now!" Paul pulled her closer. "Besides who knows when I can spend time with you again."

Kourtney smiled and gave him a kiss.

"I probably won't get to see you until dinner at Emily's on Friday."

Kourtney broke eye contact and bit her lip.

"What?"

"I sort of have plans on Friday."

"What? With who?" Paul asked, clearly disappointed.

"My parents!" Kourtney said, amused at Paul's reaction. "They said they wanted to have dinner."

Paul was still sulking. He didn't notice the big smile on Kourtney's face.

"Baby, I think my parents are getting back together!" Kourtney exclaimed when Paul said nothing.

"What? Why? I mean, that's great, but what makes you think that?"

Kourtney sighed with exasperation.

"I'm sorry, babe. I'm really-"

"Tired," Kourtney finished. She smiled and gave him another kiss. She snuggled into his arms. "Let's take a nap!"

Paul's laugh rumble from his chest to her ears and she just smiled. She felt his arms wrap around her tighter. She looked up to see that Paul already had his eyes closed. She buried her face into his chest and inhaled his scent. It didn't take long for her to hear Paul's light snoring.

Kourtney was on the verge of falling asleep too when the sound of a cellphone ringing made her open her eyes. She spotted the ringing phone on the coffee table. Not wanting Paul to wake up, Kourtney snatched the phone and silenced the rings. Jacob's name continued to flash on the caller ID. Kourtney set the phone back down. She was ready to lay back in Paul's arms when the phone rang again.

"Hello?" Kourtney answered in a low voice.

" _Kourtney? Sorry, I must've dialed your number-"_

"No, this is Paul's phone," Kourtney told Jacob. "He's sleeping right now."

The line at the end went silent.

"Hello?"

" _Are you at his house right now?"_

"Yeah," Kourtney said slowly, hearing the suspicion in his voice.

" _Okay. Wake him up and tell him to look for me."_

"Something wrong? How's Quil?"

" _Everything's good. Just need to talk to Lahote."_

"Well, he's tired and-"

" _We are all, Kourt! Wake him up and tell him I need to talk to him! Please."_

Kourtney looked at Paul's phone as the call ended. She gently shook Paul.

"Paul!" she said. "Hey! Jacob said he needs to talk to you."

"Hmm?" Paul asked

"Jacob said he needs to talk to you," Kourtney repeated.

"Shit," Paul cried as he immediately stood up. "I was supposed to switch out with him."

"No wonder he was upset," Kourtney laughed.

"I'm sorry babe, I gotta go!" Paul said hurriedly. Kourtney stood up and smiled.

"It's fine. I'll see you when I see you?" she asked, trying to hide the disappointment.

Paul leaned down and gave her a kiss as his answer.

 **.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.**

Kourtney glanced at her phone one final time to see if Paul had replied to her text. No such luck. Kourtney tried her best to hide her sigh before turning off her phone.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" her mom asked. Kourtney put a smile on her face and only shook her head. Her mom opened her mouth to say something, but Jerry gave her arm a gentle nudge.

Kourtney looked at her parents who were sitting across from her. Their seating arrangement was strange, but it delighted Kourtney. It only provided more evidence that she was right about her parents getting back together. She watched as her dad cut into his food. Her mom, on the other hand, was pushing around a piece of steak around her plate.

"So…" Kourtney began. The suspense was killing her and she had a feeling her parents were probably having a hard time trying to hide their new found love for one another again. "What's up?"

Jerry and Cynthia looked at one another. Their eyes locked and for a good minute, they said and did nothing else. Finally Cynthia nodded and reached for Jerry's hands. The action brought a smile to Kourtney's face.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Well, uh," Jerry began. Then he stopped, seeing Kourtney's reaction. He looked down at his own hand that was clasped over his wife's. He looked over at Cynthia who took her hand back. "Uh, Kourtney, your mother and I have been doing a lot of thinking on our own and uh, we talked." Jerry turned his head to Cynthia to indicate for her to continue. Cynthia cleared her throat.

"Your father and I love you and your brother very much and we will always be a family," Cynthia began. "Nothing will ever change that." Jerry cleared his throat and Cynthia stopped rambling. "Your father and I have decided to-"

"Get a divorce," Jerry finished, not wanting Cynthia to be the one to deliver the bad news by herself. It took Kourtney a few seconds to register what was said. This was far from what she was expecting tonight.

"You're getting a divorce?" she repeated.

"Yes, your mother and I have decided to just finalize things." Kourtney shook her head. "No, you're joking right?" Kourtney cried.

"Kourtney, sweetie, you have to had known it was bound to happen," Cynthia said.

"No! It wasn't! I saw you two at Harry's funeral! You two were getting along! You two were hugging!"

"I was comforting your mother."

"Yes, obviously you still care about her if you don't want her to be upset!"

"Yes, I do care about her still."

"Did you really think we were going to get back together?" Cynthia asked.

"I'm sorry if that's what you thought, honey," Jerry continued. "That is just not going to happen anymore."

Cynthia looked down at her lap when Jerry ended his statement with 'anymore.' She quickly glanced up to see Kourtney stand up from her chair.

"Kourt-"

Kourtney ignored her mom and stomped up the stairs and shut her down with as much force as she could muster. Her breathing increased and she felt tears come to her eyes. She wiped them away and tried to calm herself. She refused to cry over her parents' failed marriage. She didn't believe that they were divorcing. There had to be another way for them to stay together. Kourtney half wanted to retreat back downstairs and to talk with her parents, but the other half was still too angry and too upset. She sulked and stomped around her room.

A knock came from her door.

"Go away!" Kourtney said. The door opened anyway.

"We need to talk," Cynthia told Kourtney.

"Where's Dad?"

"I was hoping we can talk, like we used to. Our girl talk." Kourtney shook her head. "Why can't you two just try to make things work?" she cried, the tears coming back to her eyes.

Cynthia sighed.

"Kourtney-"

"You and dad have been together for the longest time! You two were high school sweethearts!"

"We were young-"

"You had Cody and then me. We are a family!"

"Doesn't mean that we'll stop being a family! I told you that. Just because your dad and I are getting divorced doesn't mean-" Kourtney shook her head and headed towards her door. She wasn't listening to the rest of her mom's explanations, but her mom blocked her at the door way. "Kourtney, please listen!"

"No! I am not going to listen unless it's you telling me that you and dad are going to get back together!" Kourtney pushed past her mom. Cynthia then did the unthinkable and grabbed Kourtney's arm.

"No!" she shouted. She let go of her daughter's arm and softened her voice. "Kourtney, your dad and I are not getting back together! Ever!"

"Why not?" Kourtney dared to ask. Cynthia sighed and covered her face. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She looked at her daughter and prepared herself.

"It's because… Because I met someone else," Cynthia finally confessed.

"What?" Kourtney asked after taking the time to digest what her mother just told her. It was the second shocking news she had that night. "Y-you met someone? Someone else?"

"We have been seeing each other for a while now," Cynthia explained, wringing her hands.

"A while?" Kourtney felt like a broken record. She closed her eyes and she just saw red. When she opened them again, she glared at her mother. "You're the reason! You're the reason for all of this!"

"Honey-"

"Dad! Dad?" Kourtney called, heading for the stairs.

"He went home so he can give us space to talk," Cynthia told her.

Kourtney whirled around at the top of the stairs.

"Did you cheat on him?" Cynthia was shocked with the accusation. When she didn't answer, Kourtney turned back to the stairs and ran down.

"Kourtney! Please! Let me explain!"

Kourtney ran out of the house, not caring about her mother and her pleading.

"Kourtney!" she yelled, but was ignored.

Quil watched the whole thing unfold in front of him. He watched as Kourtney ran to her car, her face shiny with tears. Kourtney's mom stood on the porch, yelling for Kourtney to come back. From where he stood, he could also see tears on her face. Kourtney's car roared to life and screeched as she peeled out of her parking spot and sped away. Quil turned back and ran into the forest. "Come on, come on, phase!" he told himself. Quil continued to run into the forest hoping that he'd either phase or that he'd bump into Paul as he patrolled.

' _Paul! Paul!'_ Quil suddenly saw Paul's thoughts about Kourtney. He became a third party in feeling Kourtney's pain and anguish.

' _What are you doing Quil?'_

' _Kourtney needs you!'_

' _Yeah, I know!'_ Paul instantly changed courses to go to Kourtney's house.

' _No! She just left her house!'_

' _Where the hell is she going?'_ Paul decided to head towards his house in case that was where Kourtney was heading to.

' _I don't know! I heard yelling. I think she got into a fight with her mom. She was crying!_ '

In a split second, Paul changed course and started running towards Forks. If he had to guess, he would guess that she was heading to her dad's house.

* * *

 **AN:** I am back readers! Sorry for the very long break! More apologies for the "Kourtney may be a shifter" tease! ;) It was a last second detail I threw in for fun, but I did not expect most of you to want Kourtney to go down that route! I hope to be able to update more often now! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you do not hate me for the tease!

PS. Who noticed the small nod to The Walking Dead? ;)


	32. Chapter 32

Kourtney sped down the highway. She knew there was a slim chance of getting pulled over. Even if she was, all she had to do was mention her dad and she could easily get out of a ticket. Her heart wrenched at the thought of her dad, what his own heart must be going through, while her mother was obviously happy with someone else. Kourtney allowed herself to speed just a bit more.

Once she was parked, Kourtney continued to sit in the car. By now, all of her tears were done flowing. She wiped her face and smoothed down her hair. Not knowing what to say, Kourtney exited out of her car anyway. She slowly made her way to her dad's apartment unit. Rather than just barging in, Kourtney knocked.

"Kourtney," Jerry said, looking surprised. "What-"

Kourtney hugged her dad and her tears fell again. Jerry only held his daughter tighter, just thankful she was there.

"Come in, honey," he said, leading her inside. They settled down on the couch. "So I take it that you and your mother spoke?"

Kourtney nodded.

Jerry sighed.

"Honey, I'm sorry."

Kourtney shook her head.

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing, Dad," Kourtney said.

"What?" Jerry asked.

"I know everything, Dad," Kourtney continued. She was focused on a small thread that had become unraveled on her shirt.

"Your mother told you? Everything?" her dad asked. He was perplexed as to why Kourtney felt like he didn't need to apologize.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kourtney asked.

"I-I didn't know how. I'm sorry."

Kourtney shook her head.

"Dad, stop apologizing! Mom is the one who should be apologizing!"

"Wha- your mom?" Jerry was very confused.

"She told me about her boyfriend," Kourtney revealed. "Is he the reason why you're divorcing? Is he the reason why you guys have been fighting for the past few months? Mom cheated on you, didn't she?"

Jerry was at loss for words. Everything Kourtney had said was all wrong, very wrong. Kourtney mistook his silence for affirmation.

"I can't believe she would do that to you! She keeps saying how we're family and how we'll always be family when she was the one who tore our family apart! How could she? I don't want to live with her anymore, Dad! I only have a couple more months left here, why can't I just stay with you? I don't mind driving all the way to La Push for school. I don't care if I have to wake up earlier, just don't make me stay with her!"

"It's not your mother's fault," Jerry finally said. It was time to confess the truth. It was time to own up to his mistakes.

"What are you talking about? Dad, mom cheated on you!"

Jerry sighed.

"She didn't cheat on me." Kourtney blinked at what her dad said.

"Wha-"

"Last year was not a good year for us," Jerry said.

"What do you mean?"

Jerry took a deep breath. He was half procrastinating, half preparing himself.

"Kourtney, last year I did something stupid."

"Dad?" Kourtney's voice was pleading. Her dad's statement already filled her with dread.

"I'm sorry sweetheart."

"What did you do?" Kourtney asked in a small voice.

Jerry took another minute to compose himself.

"Just tell me." Kourtney couldn't take the suspense. She wanted to know the truth. She wanted to know everything. Perhaps if she knew the full story behind her parents' divorce, she could find a way to salvage their marriage. One last try.

"I was the one who cheated…on your mom." Kourtney suddenly felt her heart stop. She felt as though she had the wind knock out of her and she was struggling to breathe. She couldn't speak. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes.

Jerry took advantage of this and continued on. "I, uh, she," Jerry stopped and gave a nervous laugh. "I'm, uh, I'm going to be a father again. You're going to be a big sister."

Her dad's second news shocked Kourtney to the core. It was only when her dad made a move to reach for her that Kourtney finally moved. She stood up and went around, avoiding any contact with her father.

"Kourtney!"

"No! Stop! Don't!" Kourtney cried. She paced the small living before finally turning around and heading for the front door.

"Wait, Kourt! Sit down and let's talk!"

Kourtney ignored her father's pleas. She ran down the flight of stairs and headed out onto the parking lot. She could still hear her father calling for her. She looked back and saw that her dad was now chasing after her. Kourtney quickened her pace.

"Kourtney!"

"Stay the hell away from me!" she yelled as she ran the rest of her way to her car. As she got closer she could make out a figure leaning against her car. She felt a sense of relief when she saw Paul walking towards her. She ran into his open arms.

"Babe," he said softly and Kourtney just let herself cry in his arms. Paul, not knowing what was going on, only held onto her. He kissed her head and just held onto her tightly. He looked up and saw her dad, watching them. Paul was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"It's alright, babe. I'm here," Paul murmured to her. It took a few more minutes for her hysteric sobs to quiet down to just small ones. Paul pulled away to wipe away her tears. He tore his eyes away from her to look at her dad who still kept his distance. Kourtney followed his eyes and turned to her dad. Jerry slowly approached Kourtney. She stepped back into Paul's arms and wrapped them around herself as if to defend herself from her dad.

"I'm sorry, honey," Jerry said. Kourtney only shook her head. "I don't know what else to say, but just know that I am really, truly sorry."

Kourtney looked at her dad, still reeling from his news. She was too confused on how to feel about everything. Rather than saying anything, Kourtney unwrapped herself from Paul and headed into the passenger's side of her car. Paul looked at Jerry questioningly.

"Just get her home safely, son." Paul nodded. He climbed into the drivers' side. He reached for Kourtney's hand and gave it a kiss before pulling away. He looked in the rear view mirror to see Jerry, watching them drive away.

 **.-~*~-.**

"I don't want to go home."

Paul glanced over at Kourtney. He had just driven onto the reservation and it was the only time Kourtney spoke the whole ride home.

"Don't take me home," Kourtney insisted.

"I told your dad that I'd make sure you got home safe."

"And you will. When I'm ready to go home."

"Babe, I know you're upset right now-" Paul began. Kourtney crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Babe, listen!"

"No! I'm not upset! I…I'm…" Kourtney stopped and bit her lip to keep from crying, again. She took a deep breath in, and with a steady voice she simply said, "Paul, I don't want to go home. Please."

Her composure lasted but 3 seconds before she dissolved into tears again. Paul pulled the car over so that he could lean and comfort his girlfriend.

"I just want to be with you right now and just not think about what's going on. I just need you."

Paul hugged her even tighter. He gave her a couple of kisses on the head before trailing them down to her lips.

"Okay," he murmured. Since it was already dark out and restaurant was already closed, Paul continued to drive towards First Beach. It was the only other place he knew they can hang out. Emily's was an option, but ever since they gained three new members, it was always a total chaos there. It was something Kourtney didn't need. As for his house… Paul continued driving towards the beach.

Once he parked, Paul got out and walked over to the passengers' side. He opened the door and offered his hand. Kourtney eventually took it and Paul led her to the back of her car. Kourtney sat on the trunk of the car, while Paul opted to just stand.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked. Kourtney shook her head.

"Not tonight," she said. Paul nodded his head in understanding. He reached up to wipe away a lone tear that clung to the corner of her eye. She gave a small, sad smile then leaned into him. Paul wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. They stayed that way for several minutes, holding one another, not saying a word.

The two only both turned when they heard another vehicle pull into the parking lot.

"Sorry to be a buzzkill," Reg said from the driver's seat of the patrol car. "Kourtney, you need to go home. Your mom has called me a dozen times and your dad-"

"Okay," Kourtney snapped, surprising Reggie. She hopped off the trunk of her car and walked over to the passenger's and got in.

"Sorry, she's had a rough night," Paul explained. Reggie only nodded.

"Take care of her, okay?"

"Always," Paul told him. Reggie gave him an appreciative smile before driving away.

.-~*~-.

"What do I say to her?" Kourtney asked when Paul pulled up in front of her house. "I said some not so nice things to her and I accused her of something when it turns out…"

"Apologize," Paul told her gently. "Then go from there."

Kourtney nodded. She leaned in and gave him a kiss.

After saying their goodbyes, Paul went on his way to the forest while Kourtney headed into her house.

"Kourt?" Kourtney heard her mom call from the living room. She made her way to her mother. When she entered the living room, Kourtney went up to her mom and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," Kourtney said.

Cynthia broke down.

"No, sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for." She looked at Kourtney. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom." Cynthia pulled her into a hug again.

.-~*~-.

The following morning, Kourtney found it difficult to get out of bed. Her head ached and she could feel the puffiness of her eyes. It was reminiscent of the days after she found out that Alex had cheated on her. Kourtney stayed in bed, replaying the events of last night. After coming home, she and her mom had a nice long talk. While, Kourtney was more understanding of her mom's side, she was still not happy at the fact that her mom had a boyfriend. Despite that fact, Kourtney was now on Team Mom.

As Kourtney lay in bed, she could hear movement from downstairs in the kitchen. The smell of her favorite type of pancakes tipped her off to her dad's presence. Kourtney continued to lie in bed, hoping that she could get away with holing herself up in her room and avoid having to see her dad.

That plan soon failed when her stomach began to growl. And while she was still very angry with her father, Kourtney was curious as to why he was there. She wondered if he was going to grovel and beg for forgiveness or if he had some other news to break to her. Kourtney immediately wondered if her dad was going to marry the woman who he cheated on her mother with.

The growing anger inside was enough for Kourtney to get out of bed and get ready for her first conversation with both of her parents.

"Sit down, sweetie. We need to talk," Cynthia said the second her daughter walked in.

Kourtney took a seat, making sure she sat across from her mother and as far as she could from her father. She eyed the blueberry pancakes, but she made no move to take some. She crossed her arms over her stomach, hoping to muffle the rumbling in her belly. Her parents looked at one another. Her dad nodded and her mom took a deep breath.

"We just want to make sure that you're okay. I know you were expecting us to get back together, but we aren't," her mother said.

"Your mother and I still do care about one another, just in a different way now. We want to be as amicable about this as much as possible."

"And what about your bastard child?" Kourtney asked, finally addressing her dad. Cynthia steadied herself, even though she moved on, it still hurt to be reminded of the betrayal that Jerry had done.

"Kourtney!" Cynthia surprised herself. "Please, that is your sibling that you're talking about!"

Kourtney was surprised that her mom was defending her father. It was too weird for her. She was so used to them always arguing that it was weird to see them getting along and defending each other for once. Kourtney felt like she was the bad guy now.

"I understand that you are upset, hurt, and even angry," Cynthia continued. "But that does not mean you get to go around being disrespectful to us, your parents!"

"Cynthia," Jerry began, putting a hand on her back as she began to sob.

"Mom," Kourtney began in a small voice. Her angry dissipated and was soon replaced with guilt and shame.

"Your father and I had a rough year this past year," Cynthia sobbed. "And we tried, sweetie. We really did. We tried to make it work again."

"But we couldn't," Jerry added. "I hurt your mother too much and…"

"We both had our faults in this," Cynthia said. The two adults looked a one another and nodded. After a long conversation on the phone the night before, they were able to find closure. They were on the same page and now, they could help their daughter through it.

"Do you have anything to say, sweet heart?" Jerry asked Kourtney.

Kourtney's tear filled eyes looked up at him. Without a word, she got up and headed out the door.

Jerry sighed.

"She'll come around," Cynthia told him.

.-~*~-.

Kourtney looked down at her watch and saw that it was only ten o'clock. She was already half way to Emily's when she realized it may be a bit too early to head over. However, she wanted to be anywhere but her own house at the moment. When she arrived at Emily's, she stayed in her car. She wasn't even sure if Emily was home; the space in front of her house was missing the usual vehicles.

She pulled out her cell phone to call Paul.

" _Good morning,"_ he answered groggily. Kourtney sighed and scolded herself for forgetting that Paul had a late night from patrolling.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I-"

" _It's okay,"_ Paul told her, though he still kept his eyes closed. " _How are you?"_

"I'm fine," she said. "I needed to get out of the house and I thought Emily's would be a good idea, but now that I'm here I can see that she's not home."

" _Yeah, she went to Neah Bay today. You can come over here._ "

"As much as I want to, I don't want to disturb your sleep-"

" _You can sleep with me,"_ Paul said. Silence filled the line. " _I meant actual sleeping. Not the other kind…"_

Kourtney laughed off the awkwardness.

"Um, yeah, I guess I'll just head over there then."

The whole drive to Paul's house, Kourtney's stomach turned in knots. She didn't feel nervous about seeing Paul until he made the comment about sleeping with him. The thought of being intimate with Paul made her anxious. Before she knew it she was walking up to Paul's house.

"Hey babe," he greeted when he opened the door. Despite being tired and having only a few hours of sleep, he smiled brightly. Kourtney couldn't help but smile back. She stepped inside and wrapped her arms around him while he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Paul tugged at her to follow him and they walked further into the house to the living room. The TV was on, but the volume was low. Kourtney could barely make out what the TV characters were saying. Paul sat down and Kourtney took her place beside him. He grabbed the TV remote and increased the volume.

"Babe, I thought you were going to sleep. What time did you come home from patrol?"

Paul shrugged.

"Just a few hours ago," he replied nonchalantly.

"What? Okay, I'm gonna go. You should sleep."

"It's alright," Paul told her, pulling her closer. "I gotta head to Forks soon anyway."

Kourtney straightened up.

"Forks? For what?"

Paul scratched the back of his head. He couldn't lie to Kourtney.

"I, uh, I'm helping your dad with his TV."

"Oh yeah. He mentioned that."

"You talked to him today already?" Paul asked. Kourtney nodded. "So what happened?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"He and my mom wanted to make sure I was okay about everything. Can you believe me mom is taking his side and defending him? After what he put her through and what he's putting her through now-"

"What exactly happened? I thought they were just getting a divorce," Paul said.

"They are because my dad cheated on my mom and got his mistress pregnant."

"Whoa, what?"

"And now, my mom has her own boyfriend and-"

"Wait, your dad cheated?"

Kourtney sighed.

"Yeah," she said sadly. "My dad cheated on my mom. Now he's having a baby with whoever the hell she is."

Paul massaged her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, babe. How you feeling about this?"

Before she could answer, Paul's phone rang. He straightened up when he saw who was calling. It was Kourtney's dad.

"Go ahead," Kourtney said, nodding. Paul took a few seconds to think of his options before silencing his phone.

"I can always call him back. So, how-" Paul's phone beeped to indicate a voicemail. "Are you feeling?"

Kourtney shrugged again. She opened her mouth to reply but her phone started ringing. She groaned when she saw that it was her dad. She didn't hesitate to reject his call.

"Come on, Kourt," Paul said, wanting to talk some sense into her. "Talk to your dad.

"I have nothing to say to him. Everything makes sense now. All this time I thought it was my mom who was ruining their marriage. It's no wonder she started picking up all these shifts. It was probably to get away from him and his cheating ass."

Paul sighed.

"I'm sure your dad knows he messed up. He probably feels like the shittiest person in the world right now."

"And he should!"

"He did something stupid and he lost his wife and now possibly his daughter over it." Paul noted how Kourtney's face fell at the last part of his statement. He hoped he was getting through to her. He knew how close the father and daughter were, and he didn't want them to have a falling out. "I get you're angry and upset with everything that's happened. Just don't do anything rash that could hurt your relationship with your dad."

Kourtney was quiet. She seemed to be thinking his words over. Paul glanced down at his cellphone. The screen lit up and indicated another call from Jerry.

"I'm gonna take this," Paul told her. He stood up before she could say word and walked towards the door. He only accepted the call once he was outside. Meanwhile, Kourtney sat in the Lahotes' living room, trying to make sense of everything that was going on.

She was angry, of course. Her family was falling apart. Despite her parents' promise that they would still be a family, Kourtney knew it was different. Kourtney was angry at both of her parents for letting their marriage fall apart. Kourtney shook her head, realizing how awful that thought sounded. Her angry was soon replaced with sadness. She knew that this was it. Her parents' marriage was really over. Her mom already moved and her dad would soon, too, especially with another baby on the way. Even if she continued to be angry and sad, in the end, she'd be the only left to feeling that way.

"Babe?" Kourtney looked up and saw that Paul was back.

"Yeah?"

Paul looked hesitant to say.

"It's okay," Kourtney said. "You go on to Forks. I'll just…go back home."

"You sure?"

Kourtney nodded. "Just call me when you get back?"

"Of course," he said pulling her up and giving her a kiss.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-..-~*~-.

Kourtney sat in the seat across her dad, picking at the food he cooked. It was Sunday evening and Paul somehow managed to get her to agree to a dinner with him. Kourtney looked over at Paul who was already finishing his second plate. Meanwhile, she had yet to touch her first.

"Your boyfriend has an appetite, huh?" Jerry joked.

"Sorry, I haven't eaten all day. I've been pat-" Paul stopped after getting a look from both Jerry and Kourtney. He cleared his throat and finished his soda. "Uh, I'm gonna grab another. Anyone want anything?"

Kourtney shook her head just as Jerry said, "No."

Even though the kitchen was only a few feet away, Kourtney felt uncomfortable being alone with her dad at the table.

"Thank you for coming sweetheart, it really means a lot," Jerry told her.

"Yeah," Kourtney only replied.

"Kourtney, honey, look-"

"We really don't need to be talking about anything right now, okay?"

Jerry nodded. Paul made his way back to his seat.

"Thanks for inviting us over, Mr. Hunt," Paul said as he popped open another can of soda.

"Of course, you kids are welcome here anytime."

Paul looked over at Kourtney, who kept her eyes on her plate. Silence fell upon the three. After a few minutes of hearing Kourtney scraping her food around, Jerry finally cleared his throat.

"Kourtney," he said in a stern voice. "I can apologize until I'm blue in the face, but that won't make you forgive me any faster. However, I can promise that from now on there will be no more secrets, just an open honest line of communication." Jerry looked at Paul and raised an eyebrow at him. "No more secrets."

Paul's eyes widened when he realized what Jerry meant. Seeing Paul's reaction, Kourtney straightened up in her seat and finally looked at her dad.

"Sweetheart, I have to be honest and confess that, I know about Paul."

Kourtney looked at him in confusion.

"I mean, I know that he's…a spirit warrior. I know that he's a shapeshifter."

Kourtney's fork clattered onto her plate.

"What?" she asked, looking at her dad then at Paul. "He knew?"

"Uh, well-"

"I told him not to tell you that I knew," Jerry jumped in.

"So not only did you keep another secret from me, you made Paul keep it from me, too."

Jerry sighed. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and threw it back down at the table.

"Excuse me for a second," Jerry said. He pushed he chair out and headed to his room, slamming the door in the process.

"Babe, you need to lighten up! You're gonna regret pushing your dad away like this."

"You don't get it, Paul!" She cried. "And I can't believe you didn't tell me that my dad knew!"

"I do get it. You're upset and angry with your dad. Your dad messed up and you're punishing him by acting like…"

"Like what?" Kourtney asked, daring him to complete his statement.

Paul sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Baby, listen, you're only going to ruin your relationship with your dad if you keep doing this to him. I know that you and your dad are close."

Kourtney shook her head.

"I don't want to hear it Paul!"

"You _need_ to hear it!" Paul shouted. He let out a frustrated yell as he scooted his chair back. He quickly made his way to the front door.

"Wha- Paul!" Kourtney left the table and followed him out the door.

Jerry came out of the room just as Kourtney walked out the front door. He quickly followed the two.

"Where are you going?" Kourtney asked once she was able to catch up with Paul.

"Leave me alone, Kourt! Just give me some space right now! Don't follow me!" With that, Paul took off and started running towards the woods nearby. Kourtney picked up her paced and tried to keep up with Paul. As she neared the edge of the forest, someone grabbed her arm.

"Dad!" Kourtney cried in surprised.

"Kourtney! What the hell are you doing?" he asked, not letting go of her arm.

"I'm looking for Paul!"

"No! Come on! It's too dangerous!"

"Let me go!"

"Kourtney Hunt!" Kourtney froze as her dad grabbed both of her arms and pulled her towards him roughly. "Listen! It is too dangerous out here! Do you want to end up like Emily?"

Kourtney instantly thought about the scars that ran down Emily's face. She knew the scars were from Sam; an accident that was brought up briefly one time.

"You will follow me back to the apartment without another word, do you understand me?" Kourtney only nodded. Her dad kept a firm grip on her arm as he led her back towards the apartment complex. She still remained quiet as they walked to the door of his apartment and entered. She made her way to the couch and sat down. Jerry sighed.

"Kourtney, I am so sorry." Jerry went to hug his daughter. She didn't hug him back, but she didn't push him away either. "I love you. I just got worried."

He waited for her to respond, but she didn't. He sighed and took a seat beside her.

"I know that the last few days have been a mess." Jerry chuckled to himself. "Who am I kidding? This past year has been a mess, mainly for me. I tried to fix it. I confessed to your mom, of course she reacted negatively. I still loved her at that time and wanted to fix things, to make it up to her. Unfortunately she didn't. The more I tried to show her how much I loved her, the more she fell out of love with me."

"I don't want to talk about this," Kourtney said. Hearing how her parents slowly fell out of love saddened her. Jerry nodded and made a move to leave. "I want to talk about Paul. Have you seen them before? As wolves?"

Jerry slowly sat back down.

"Not Paul," he replied. He was glad she was talking to him again. "I've only seen Sam and Jacob Black."

"Why are they so dangerous?"

"Because they aren't your regular wolves, honey. They're a lot bigger. The size of a bear. You really shouldn't be around them, especially when they are phasing. Accidents can happen, even when they are trying to be careful."

"Like with Emily?" Jerry nodded.

"You especially have to be careful around Paul. He has a hard time controlling himself compared to the other guys. You and I both know that he is a bit temperamental, and, uh, well, it affects how he phases. I've been told he is more prone to phasing when he is angry or even upset."

"That explains a lot," Kourtney said, thinking about all the times Paul disappeared from school. The clock chimed. The father and daughter glanced up, seeing it was already nine o'clock.

"It's getting late, you should start heading home."

"Maybe I should wait for-"

A knock came from the door. Her dad got up to answer it. Paul stood on the other side of the door, looking ashamed.

"Are you okay?" Jerry asked. Paul nodded.

"Paul, look at me. Are you okay?" Paul looked Jerry in the eye.

"I would never hurt Kourtney, sir."

"At least not intentionally."

"I'm always careful around her and I leave the second I feel the urge to phase." Jerry nodded. His daughter's safety was his priority, but he also knew that Paul cared for her, too. "Well, I was just telling Kourtney that she should get going."

Jerry looked over at Kourtney who slowly stood up.

"Don't be a stranger, sweetheart," Jerry said.

"Good night," she told him as she stepped out the front door. Jerry looked disappointed with her goodbye.

"Drive safe," he told Paul. Paul nodded and followed Kourtney to his car. Not a single word was said until they reached his car.

"Paul, I'm sorry," Kourtney said as he opened the door for her.

"It's okay," he told her.

"I know I've been really difficult the last couple of days-"

"You're going through a lot, I understand."

"Stop making excuses for me. I was a bitch." Paul chuckled. "What?"

Paul shook his head, a smile still on his face. While he agreed with her statement, he was not going to say it outright. He leaned in a gave her a kiss.

"It's okay, Kourt. Like I said, you've handled more than your fair share of…"

"Family drama?" Paul smiled and gave her another kiss.

"Come on, we gotta get home." Kourtney slid into the passenger's seat. Paul was quick to run to the driver's seat. "Honestly, babe, I think your parents divorcing is the best for you parents."

"Really?" Kourtney asked. The mention of divorce still stung, and she was quite surprised at Paul's statement.

"Don't get me wrong, babe," Paul said quickly. "I know that you want your parents to be together again, but… Your parents weren't happy with each other anymore. With all that fighting-" Paul stopped, not wanting to upset Kourtney and further.

"No, I get what you're trying to say," Kourtney told him. "It stills sucks though."

The drive back home was quiet again. Even after pulling up to her house, Kourtney didn't say anything or even move.

"What's up?" Paul asked, taking her hand in his.

"What are vampires like?" Paul sighed at her question. "My dad told me that your wolf form is not like a regular wolf. So are vampires different than the movies?"

"No, they're the same annoying, blood sucking human you see in the movies, give or take a few qualities."

"Are there a lot of them? Have you come across a lot of them?"

Paul shrugged. "A few since I first phased."

"Why are they here in the first place? They just wander around the forest?"

"Hikers, mainly," Paul said. "Especially during the good weather seasons. Easy prey for them."

"Do some of them lived around the res?" Kourtney asked.

"We make sure they keep a good distance," Paul told her. "Don't worry about them, babe."

"So, if I come across one, how would I know that they are a vampire?" Kourtney asked. She thought it was a pretty good and important question.

Paul laughed.

"What?" Kourtney asked.

"There you go again, believing more in vampires than shapeshifters."

"Sorry," Kourtney mumbled. Paul leaned in closer to her.

"Don't worry about vampires okay? It's our job to protect everyone from vampires. It's my job to protect you from them."

.-~*~-. .-~*~-..-~*~-.

"Prom posters already?" Kourtney asked as she passed by one. "Didn't the last dance just finish?"

"Well, us seniors are in charge of the planning and Marianne took it upon herself to head up the committee."

"Of course," Kourtney said opening her locker.

"With that being said," Christy continued. "We all need to meet at the library for a quick meeting to decide what theme it'll be this year. Kourtney groaned, but Christy pulled her along as the bell rang.

"Paul is so lucky he's not here," Kourtney muttered.

"Okay," Marianne said as she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Let's keep this quick and simple. Anyone have any ideas on themes?"

The handful of seniors all began spouting out ideas.

"Masquerade," Kourtney said over all the chatter.

"That's so cliché," Moni said.

"So is Monte Carlo night," Christy replied earning a glare.

"No, I think it's a good idea," Marianne said. Everyone stopped talking. They were all surprised that Marianne agreed with Kourtney. "Okay, a masquerade it is! We'll set up another meeting this week so we can get into more details!"

With that, Marianne grabbed her purse and walked out the library, her two friends following her as always.

"Has hell froze over?" Matt joked. Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," Christy said, gathering her belongings. "You two actually agree on something besides Paul."

Kourtney sent her a look which only caused Christy to laugh.

"Well, Marianne and I always liked the idea of a Masquerade," Kourtney shared.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-..-~*~-.

"Hey Kourtney," Nate greeted as she walked to her locker. "So…two days until spring break."

"Can't wait," Kourtney said. "I could use a break."

"It's our last spring break before we go off to college!"

"Which is where the real spring break really happens," Kourtney joked. Nate laughed.

"Anyways, I just wanted to invite you a party this Saturday."

"Uh-"

"Before you flatout reject my invitation," Nate continued. "Just remember that this is our last spring break as seniors. Then it'll only be months until graduation and we'll all be headed in different directions. And let's be honest, we probably won't keep in touch with half of the people in our class."

Kourtney laughed.

"So?" Nate asked. "Oh, Young Lahote!"

Paul nodded his head in greeting.

"I was just inviting your beautiful girlfriend here to our last ever spring break party! You are more than welcome to come, too man," Nate said.

"Yeah, sounds good," Paul said. "We'll be there!"

"Alright!" Nate cried. He and Paul exchanged a handshake. "I'll see you two later."

Kourtney waited until Nate was out of earshot.

"You're actually going to a party?" Kourtney asked.

" _We_ are going to a party," Paul corrected. "And no alcohol for you this time around!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes. "Is Sam really going to let you?"

Paul shrugged. "I'm pretty sure."

* * *

 **AN:** Hello my lovely readers! I AM BACK! You may not know, but I did start a new Veronica Mars fanfic (my first one, so go check it out!). While checking up on the traffic stats, I saw that a lot of people have been stopping by to read this fanfic and I realized that I should at least try to finish it for you all! So with that being said, I will be working on this fanfic as well as the Veronica Mars one (seriously, check it out and let me know what you think!). I did lose my interest with this fanfic, only because I came up with another totally cool Twilight fanfic that I am just dying to start writing and sharing! However, I thought the least I could do was to finish this one up first before jumping into another one.

So, yes, I am back. Expect updates! I love hearing from you! And hopefully this fanfic is still something you all like/love/interested in!


	33. Chapter 33

Kourtney smiled at Paul as he took her hand in his. Together, they walked up to Brian's house. Paul wouldn't admit it, but he was nervous about going to this party. He hadn't really spoken too much to his old friends, and after his fights with Brian, he wasn't sure if another one would break out that night. As they neared the door, Paul wondered if being there was a good idea. Sam wasn't a big fan of him going, especially his history of fighting with Brian, but after practically begging, Sam finally gave him the good ahead. Paul glanced up and down the street, then back at the woods. He was sure one of the guys was close by, just in case.

Paul reached for the door and opened it, letting out the smell of alcohol as well as the sounds of music and people chattering.

"Hey, Kourtney!" Nate greeted. "You and yours made it!"

Kourtney gave Nate a hug, the smell of alcohol filling her nose. Paul gave him a handshake.

"Booze over there-"

"None of us," Paul told him.

"Okay, no problem!" Nate said. He looked over at Kourtney and laughed. "Might be a good idea, huh?"

Kourtney and Paul laughed with him.

"Okay, I get it. I don't do well with alcohol."

"Kourt!" Christy yelled from across the room. She was seated on the couch with the rest of the girls. She turned to Paul who was talking with Nate. He turned to her and she motioned where she was heading. Paul nodded as Devin joined their conversation. Kourtney made her way to the living room. Kayla offered her a cup.

"Yeah, I better not," Kourtney said with a laugh.

"Come on, Paul won't mind," Kayla said.

"No, he wouldn't, but I think I would."

Kayla shrugged and drank the drink herself. Kourtney took a seat next to Christy.

"Been here long?"

"Not too long," Christy said.

"So, Kourtney," Moni, began. Kourtney prepared herself for whatever she was going to ask. "Have you decided where you're going?"

Kourtney nodded.

"Yeah, um, I decided that I'm just going to stay in Washington."

"Here, here!" Leslie said, raising her glass. Christy did the same. "UW, right?"

Kourtney nodded again. Leslie and Christy cheered.

"Where are you guys going?"

"UCLA," Kayla said. "Moni's going to Florida-"

"Maybe I'll see your brother around," Moni said.

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"And Marianne is going back to New York."

Kourtney looked over at Marianne who continued to sip on her drink.

"Didn't you get accepted into UCLA, too?"

"Yeah, and the one your brother is going to?" Moni asked.

"Yeah, I-"

"Why the hell do you want to stay in Washington?" Kayla asked. "Is it because of Paul?"

"It is, isn't it?" Moni insisted. "I mean, I heard he didn't even apply to any colleges."

"I wouldn't either if I barely went to school."

"He has his reasons, okay?" Kourtney said. "He wants to stay here."

"So he is the reason why you're staying then," Kayla said.

"He's part of the reason, yeah," Kourtney admitted.

"Wow," Kayla and Moni said surprised.

"What's wrong with that?" Christie asked. "I'm staying in Washington for Derrick."

"Yeah, but you and Derrick have been together forever! Kourtney and Paul, well, they-"

"Who cares?" Marianne finally spoke. All the girls glanced her way. "She already said he was part of the reason, so obviously Kourtney has other reasons to stay nearby."

"Yeah," Moni said slowly. "But-"

"I'm going to Seattle on Monday," Marianne said, cutting Moni off. "I think I'm gonna start looking for a dress for prom. You want to make it a girls trip?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Leslie was the first to agree. Kayla and Moni soon agreed, too. Marianne glanced over at Christy and Kourtney.

"Uh, yeah," Christy replied. "We'll go."

Kourtney only nodded. She exchanged a look with Christy as Marianne moved on from the subject.

"Did I just imagine that conversation?" Christy asked. "I'm not that drunk, am I?"

Kourtney laughed. "No, that conversation really happened."

Christy bust out laughing. Kourtney looked over at where she left Paul and was surprised to see him talking with all of his old friends. With a beer in his hand, Paul was laughing and seemed to be enjoying himself. He caught Kourtney looking at him. She gave him a fake disapproving look and he gave a shrugged and smiled, earning him a smile back.

"I feel like I'm in the twilight zone," Christy whispered as she also noticed Paul. Kourtney smiled. She was glad that she decided to go to the party. It was the first time in a long time that she was able to have fun and enjoy other people's company, all the while, not thinking about what was going on at home.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"The Hunt ladies!" Matt greeted. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Matt," Cynthia replied. "Two please."

Kourtney and her mom followed Matt to a table. It was Saturday and Kourtney was surprised to see that her mom had the day off, so the two decided to go out for lunch.

Just as Kourtney sat down, she saw Paul walk out from the restaurant's kitchen doors. She immediately smiled.

"Paul!" she called. Cynthia looked up from her menu and saw Paul walking over.

"Hi babe," he said. He suddenly noticed her mom sitting across from her. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Hunt."

"Hello, Paul," Cynthia replied politely.

"Are you done out there?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah, just got the last load in the kitchen."

"Sit," Kourtney said, scooting to the next chair over.

"Uh, it's okay, I-"

"Come on," Kourtney urged.

"Come join us," Cynthia finally said, giving a smile.

"Are you sure? I just came back from being out all morning. I probably don't look or smell the best right now."

"It's okay," Kourtney quickly said and patted the chair next to her. She knew he would be busy later on with his patrolling business and wanted to spend some time with him. Also, she didn't want to be alone with her mom. Since they announced their divorce and Kourtney found out about everything, her mom became less secretive about her boyfriend. She would catch her mom talking on the phone with him, laughing and chatting. She also overheard her mom mentioning that she'd talk to her soon about him. Kourtney had a feeling that conversation was the reason for their lunch date. With Paul joining them, she knew her mom would hold off.

"How was your morning?" Cynthia asked. Kourtney smiled, appreciating the fact that her mom was talking to Paul.

"It was good," Paul replied. "We got a decent amount of fish."

"So, Paul, I'm guessing Kourtney has told you that she's planning on going to University of Washington."

"Yes, she has," Paul said. "I'm happy for her."

Kourtney took hold of his hand and thanked him.

"Have you decided on a college?" Cynthia asked. Paul suddenly looked down. "Kourtney hasn't said."

"Uh, actually, I wasn't planning on going to college," Paul said. Kourtney rubbed small circles with her thumb on his hand.

"Oh?" Cynthia asked, not hiding the disapproving tone. "So what are your plans?"

"Mom," Kourtney said, giving her a look.

"I'm planning on staying here," Paul replied. "Helping my dad."

Cynthia only nodded as she took a sip of her iced tea.

"But you will eventually go to college, won't you?"

"Mom, seriously, stop."

"Eventually," Paul still answered. "I'm not sure when, but eventually."

"Do you know what you plan to major in?"

Paul shook his head. "Haven't really given it much thought."

Kourtney glared at her mom as Cynthia replied with another disapproving, "Oh?"

"Mom, Paul has other things to worry about besides college right now," Kourtney said, defensively.

"Like what? If I may ask."

"No, you may not," Kourtney said.

Cynthia was ready to reply when Matt showed up.

"Uh, excuse me, but are you all ready to order?"

"You ladies go ahead," Paul said. "I, uh, I should check to see if my dad needs help with anything else."

"Paul," Kourtney began. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," he told her. "It was nice seeing you Mrs. Hunt."

"You, too, Paul," Cynthia replied. Kourtney glared at her mom again. "Are you ready to order sweetheart?"

"I'll have my usual," Kourtney said. Matt only nodded, not needing to scribble it down. After Cynthia placed her order, Matt took off. "Did you really have to talk to Paul like that?"

"I was just asking some questions," Cynthia said.

"All while making him feel bad-"

"He should," Cynthia said.

"Mom!"

"Kourtney, I know you think he's a good guy-"

"He is! Even Sue thinks so!"

"And your dad has arrested him how many times? He's gotten into how many fights?"

Kourtney sighed. Her mom had a point.

"He's not the same anymore, Mom," was all she could say.

"Kourtney, he flunked his senior year because he didn't do anything! And now he's skipping classes and not even showing up for school! He quit the football team-"

"He got sick-"

"And he didn't even bother to apply to go to college. Do you really see a future with him?"

Kourtney couldn't believe she was having this conversation.

"Is he the reason why you didn't even consider UCLA? Alex-"

"Alex cheated on me," Kourtney reminded her. "I'm sure you know how that feels, Mom."

Cynthia looked down at her daughter's words.

"Paul may not be college bound or anything like that, but at least he knows how to treat me," Kourtney told her. "You may not like him, Mom, but I do. He makes me happy. All the times I spent, dealing with you and dad fighting, Paul was there for me."

Kourtney saw Matt approaching with their food and decided not to say anything else. They two thanked him and ate in silence. After that conversation, Kourtney barely said anything the rest of lunch. Kourtney was relieved when they were finally back home and she was able to retreat into her room. She felt drained constantly arguing with her mom about Paul. Her mom was the only one who seemed to dislike Paul. _'And Cody,'_ Kourtney thought. Her dad liked Paul, then again, Kourtney didn't care too much about what her dad thought. Kourtney sighed. She sat up on her bed and saw the acceptance letter from UW.

In two months, she'll be graduated from college. A few months after that, she'll be in college. Soon Kourtney started thinking about her options. She still didn't know if she wanted to stay on campus or get an apartment. Or stay home and commute daily, or at least whenever her classes were scheduled. Kourtney sighed. Doing that would be too much of a hassle, but then she'd be home more and be able to see Paul.

Kourtney shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. Instead, Kourtney started getting ready for another beach day with her friends.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney stood up as she saw Paul's truck approaching her house. She slung her beach bag over her shoulder and walked down the pathway. His truck stopped as she reached the end.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, babe," he replied. Kourtney noticed the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. She hopped in the passengers' side and gave him a kiss. "Don't worry about my mom, okay?"

"Yeah," Paul only said.

"Seriously, Paul," Kourtney said. "Please, don't think about it too much. You have your reasons why you can't leave. I understand that."

Paul sighed and started driving to the beach.

"You know," Kourtney began after a few minutes of silence. "I was thinking…"

Paul glanced over at her when she didn't continue.

"I was debating between living in the dorms or off campus in an apartment and I realized, I can always just commute."

"What?" Every day?" Paul asked. "Babe, that's like an 8 hour drive round trip!"

"Well, it wouldn't be everyday," Kourtney said. "I'd have to see what classes are available that I need, but I can always try and pick classes that are every other day or that are later in the day. Or maybe even online classes-"

"Are you doing that because of me?" Paul suddenly asked.

"What? Well, no…not really," Kourtney.

"Babe," Paul said. "Don't do that."

"Well, if I stay in Seattle, I won't be able to come home until the weekends."

"That's fine." Kourtney gave him a look. "You're only four hours away. If anything, I can always come up to visit you during the weekdays."

Kourtney didn't reply.

"Kourt, if you kept yourself from really experiencing going to college because of me, then you'll be proving your mom right," Paul told her. "I'll miss spending as much time with you, but I don't want you forcing yourself to stay here because of me. You don't need to be stuck here because I am."

Kourtney realized that she only made Paul's mood worse. Paul hit the steering wheel.

"Damn it!" he cried.

"Paul?" Kourtney held onto the door as Paul swerved over to the side of the road. "Paul?"

Paul opened his door and stepped.

"Just drive, Kourtney, I'll meet you there," he told her.

"Paul!" Kourtney yelled after him as he ran into the forest. Kourtney sighed. She hopped over to the driver's and drove her way to the beach.

"Where's Paul?" everyone asked as Kourtney pulled up.

"On his way," Kourtney said.

"Everything okay?" Kim asked. Kourtney only nodded and gave a smile. Kim gave her a look.

"I, uh, I don't want to talk about it." Kim only nodded and gave her a hug.

Kourtney sat on the sand just watching the boys play around. She kept looking around, seeing if Paul would appear anytime soon.

"What's wrong with you?" Quil finally asked Kourtney as he plopped down beside her.

"Yeah, you haven't said anything since you got here," Embry said. "Plus Paul's not here. Are you two fighting?"

Kourtney rolled her eyes. "No," she sighed.

"I know what will cheer you up!" Embry cried. He pointed towards the cliffs. Quil whooped and hollered.

"Let's head to the cliffs!" Quil yelled. Jacob and Jared shouted in agreement. Kourtney watched as the guys started running towards the cliffs. Even Sam followed the guys towards the cliff.

"Come on, Kourt!" Embry yelled. Kourtney smiled and stood up.

"What you doing?" Paul asked. Kourtney spun around and felt relieved to see him. She ran to him and hugged him. His arms immediately embraced her back and he placed a kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"It's okay," Kourtney told him. She stepped back from his hold and nodded towards the cliff. "Let's go!"

"No," Paul said. "That's too high for you."

"No!" Kourtney said glancing back at the cliff. "It's not too bad. I've done it before."

"Not from that highest one," Paul argued.

"Fine, you can stay here," Kourtney said letting go of his hand. "You guys coming?"

Emily and Kim shook their heads no, while Leah didn't even acknowledge her.

"Babe," Paul said as Kourtney started running. Paul groaned as he ran after her. He eventually caught up with her and threw his arms around her. "We're going back."

"Paul, no! Let's go together! Please? Just once!"

Paul looked into her brown, pleading eyes.

"I can jump with her," Embry cried from the top of the cliff.

"Shut up, Embry!"

"Let's go, or I'll have to jump off with Embry," Kourtney teased.

"Don't worry, I'll hold onto her tight!" Kourtney laughed as Paul cursed at Embry. Paul finally agreed and the couple climbed up the cliffs. Once at the top, only Jacob, Sam, and Embry were left. Jared, Quil, and Seth were already swimming towards the shore.

"This isn't a good idea," Jacob told Kourtney as he glared at Paul.

"You shouldn't have brought her here," Sam told Paul.

"I'm a big girl!" Kourtney said. "Plus, I'm not climbing back down that cliff. Jumping off will be faster."

She slowly walked towards the edge.

"Shit," she said under her breath. She felt Paul's hand on her back.

"You ready?"

"Not really," she muttered.

"Hey, you made me climb all the way up here, Hunt," Paul said.

"Now you want to jump?"

"And now you don't?"

"Are you two going or not?" Embry asked. Sam shook his head; he looked worried.

"You go first," Kourtney told Embry. He shrugged and backed up so he could have a running start. Once he neared the edge he jumped off, twisting his body before diving head first into the water.

"He made that look too easy," Kourtney said.

"Jake, go," Paul ordered. Jacob went to the edge and did a backflip off.

"Show off," Kourtney said. Once Jacob appeared and started swimming to the shore, Paul looked down at Kourtney.

"Our turn," he told her with a smirk. "Unless you changed your mind-"

"No!" Kourtney cried. "I didn't…let's just get this over with."

"Kourtney," Sam began.

"I'll be fine!" Sam looked at Paul.

"Babe you don't have to-" Kourtney didn't let him finish. She ran from her spot and launched in the air once she reached the edge.

"Paul!" Sam cried. Paul immediately jumped in after her.

Kourtney flailed her arms and legs, before finally bringing together prior to hitting the water. Coldness rushed all around. Once she felt her body stop descending, she started kicking herself up towards the surface. Sam watched for Kourtney to resurface. Paul was the first and Sam panicked.

"Where is she?" Sam called. Paul dove down again. Sam cursed under his breath and jumped off. Kourtney surfaced just as Sam hit the water. Kourtney gasped for air.

"You alright, babe?" Paul cried. Once he resurfaced and saw her.

"Yeah," gasped Kourtney. "I'm glad I did that cause I am not doing that shit again!"

Paul only laughed. Sam surfaced.

"Kourt!"

"I'm fine!" Kourtney cried at Sam as she started swimming towards the shore.

"Damn it, that is the last time you're doing that!" Sam told her, his heart still racing from the scare.

"I know, I already told Paul that."

The three made their way back to shore. Kourtney shivered as she walked out of the water. Paul instantly made his way over and wrapped her in his arms.

Emily ran to them, handing Kourtney a towel.

"Thanks," she said. Kourtney dried herself off and threw her hoodie over. "I should've brought a pair of sweats."

Paul pulled her close to him and hung his arm around her shoulders. Sam added more would to the fire. The group all settled around the fire, just talking and joking around. Kourtney remained quiet. She felt her head start to hurt as she sniffled more and more.

Kourtney sneezed.

"Uh, oh," Jared teased. "Is someone getting sick? Already?"

"Or maybe, she's showing signs of phasing," Embry suggested. Everyone burst out laughing.

"Shut up," Paul said.

"Well, Paul, since Leah phased, we know for sure that girls can phase," Jared said.

"What?" Kourtney asked.

"Oh, when you were sick a few weeks ago, Paul thought you were going to phase," Embry informed her.

"Shut up, Embry, I did not! You were the one who brought up that idea!"

"Yeah, Paul was kinda worried you'd be one of us because it meant that you'd hear his thoughts," Jared said.

Paul glared at Jared.

"Oh really?" Kourtney asked. "What thoughts?"

The guys all laughed.

"Thoughts your dad wouldn't approve of," Embry said wriggling his eyebrows. Kourtney felt herself blush.

"Alright, guys that's enough," Sam said. "We should pack up and head to the house for dinner."

"Well, on the flip side, Paul," Seth spoke up. "You'd be able to hear Kourtney's thoughts about you."

"Seth!" Emily cried, surprised that the youngest shifter was talking part in the teasing.

"It's such an invasion of privacy," Leah finally said. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

"Well, I'd rather hear Kourtney's thoughts about Paul over all your negative thoughts," Jared told her. The rest of the guys agreed. Leah threw the towel she folded at Jared before walking away.

"Seriously guys?" Emily asked.

"Let's just finish up and go," Sam told them. Kourtney let out a series of sneezes. "Paul, I think you should take Kourtney home."

"I told you cliffdiving wasn't a good idea!" Jacob told them.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"What does Leah think about?" Kourtney asked Paul once they were on their way to her house.

Paul shrugged. "Let's just say it's uncomfortable for Sam to be phased when she is."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, but she's being a bitch about it, though-"

"Paul!"

"She's purposely thinking about how her and Sam were when they were together. She's punishing him."

"Well, I get that," Kourtney said. "I mean…Emily is her cousin."

"Yeah, but Sam couldn't help it."

"I think he could've, if he really tried," Kourtney said.

Paul didn't reply. He didn't know how else to explain it without mentioning the imprinting part. He wasn't sure if he was ready for Kourtney to hear about that.

"Look, babe," Paul began. "It just sucks. I don't know how else to say it. Leah is bitter and we know that Sam feels guilty. Between them two, it just drains us when they're phased with us."

Kourtney nodded her head.

"Just, don't go trying to befriend Leah, alright?" Paul told her. "I don't want her bad mood to rub off on you."

Kourtney laughed. She leaned in to give him a kiss but pulled back last minute to sneeze.

"I should go," Kourtney said. "I need a Tylenol and a nice hot shower."

Paul leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

"So you think you'd wanna go again tomorrow?" Paul asked Kourtney as he started his truck. "Today was kinda a bust."

"Yeah, sure," Kourtney said. Paul looked at her in surprise. "What? It was fun!"

"We literally sat out there for hours, not getting a damn thing," Paul said, smiling.

"Yeah, but it was still fun, you know, talking with you and your dad. Just…out there not having to worry about anything else." Kourtney shrugged. "It's a nice little getaway."

Paul gave her hand a kiss.

"I never knew you and your dad were so close," Kourtney commented.

Paul shrugged. "Yeah, well, I guess ever since I phased, he and I just get along better now."

He looked over and saw that Kourtney was looking out the window. A part of him knew she was thinking about her dad.

"So, uh, have you talked to your dad yet?"

Kourtney didn't reply right away. A few minutes passed and they turned onto her street before she answered, "No. Not really. Have you?"

"Yeah, he was over at Sam's a few days ago to, uh, check in on a fewthings."

"One of them being me?" Paul nodded.

"He misses you."

"Yeah, well…" Kourtney trailed off. She sat up straighter as they approached her house. Paul saw what caught her interest. A shiny black Mustang was parked on the driveway.

"Did your mom get a new car?"

"Uh, she didn't mention anything," Kourtney said as she undid her seatbelt. She turned to say her goodbyes to Paul. Due to her constant arguing with her mom, they couple often said their goodbyes in his truck so Paul would avoid having to see her mom. "I'll call you."

After giving him a kiss, Kourtney hopped out and made her way to the front door.

"Mom?" Kourtney called out. Music sounded throughout the house and she heard voices in the kitchen. Kourtney made her way towards the voices. She stopped when she saw her mom at the stove, with a guy standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. She watched as her mom giggled as the guy kissed her neck. Cynthia turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, then she noticed Kourtney.

"Sweetheart!" Cynthia said in surprise. The guy turned around. "Uh, this is-"

Kourtney didn't let her finish. She spun around and ran out the house with her mom yelling after her. As she ran down the path, she could still see Paul's truck driving down the road. She continued to run after him. Eventually she saw Paul stop and hop out his truck.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked approaching her.

"I changed my mind," she told him. "I don't feel like going home."

She made her way into the passengers. Paul briefly saw Kourtney's mom in front of the house, watching. He also saw a guy he didn't recognize put his arm around her. He could only guess that it was Cynthia's new boyfriend. Paul hopped in his truck. Without a word, Paul drove away. He didn't need to ask Kourtney where she wanted to go, he knew that she didn't want to be anywhere near her house. He reached over for her hand. Soon they arrived at Paul's house.

"Stay here, I just need to get a few things," Paul told her. Kourtney nodded. She watched as Paul disappeared into his house. She tried everything to get her mind off of the fact that her mom's boyfriend was over their house. It was no wonder her mom was adamant that she was home for dinner. She was jarred out of her thoughts when she felt the truck jostle a little. She looked around and saw that Paul was setting a few things in the truck's bed. He made his way over to the drivers' side and hopped in.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Just a few things we might need later," he told her. The truck started back up and he drove away. It didn't take long for Kourtney to realize they were heading towards Rialto beach. She was glad. First Beach was still a little too close to home.

"I'm sorry," Kourtney told him.

"For what?"

"For messing up your plans tonight," Kourtney explained.

"What plans?" Paul laughed. "Besides spending time with you, all I do is go to Emily's, go fishing, or go patrol."

"Wait, didn't you have patrol tonight?"

"Yeah," Paul said. "But Quil agreed to take over. He can't get enough of that shit."

They both laughed. Once they reached their destination, Paul back parked into a spot. Kourtney hopped off and admired the sun setting over the water. Paul put the tailgate down of his truck and nodded Kourtney over. He helped her onto the truck bed before jumping on and taking sitting next to her.

"This is exactly what I need," Kourtney said. Paul brought out a blanket and laid it out on the truck bed. "Wow you were prepared."

Paul leaned back against the cab and invited Kourtney into his arms. He spread the other blanket on top.

"Can we just stay here?" Kourtney asked, enjoying the warmth of Paul next to her and watching the sun slowly set.

"As long as you want," Paul told her. "No place I'd rather be."

Kourtney looked up at him and kissed him. She sighed with content as she snuggled up next to him again. The two stayed that way, just holding one another in silence. Soon, Kourtney heard the familiar soft snoring of Paul. She looked up and wasn't surprised to see him asleep. She giggled to herself, placed another kiss on his cheek and snuggled back into him. Pretty soon, she let her own eyes close.

A few hours later, Paul woke up to the light of the moon. He looked down and realized that Kourtney was asleep next to him. He looked at his watch which showed it was already past midnight.

"Shit," he muttered. Taking care not to wake Kourtney, Paul jumped off the truck bed and headed into the cab of the truck. He groaned when he saw the numerous missed calls and texts he got. He got a sinking feeling when he saw that the calls were all from either his dad or Sam. "Fuck."

Paul headed back to the bed of the truck.

"Babe," he called out as he gently shook Kourtney. "We need to go."

Kourtney opened her eyes and took a minute to adjust.

"What?"

"It's past midnight, babe, we need to go," Paul said, helping her sit up. "Your mom's probably looking for you-"

"I don't care," Kourtney murmured.

"I need to get you home," Paul told her gently. "Sam and my dad have been blowing up my phone."

Kourtney's eyes widened. "Shit, I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it."

Paul led her to the passengers' seat.

"Are they mad?"

"Don't worry about it," Paul answered. He shut the door and instantly thought about what Gene and Sam would have to say to him. He wasn't not looking forward to that.

Without wasting another second, Paul turned on his truck and drove back towards La Push. He wasn't surprised when a deputy's patrol vehicle suddenly appeared behind him. Paul slowed down to the speed limit, but the still the sirens turned on.

"Shit," Paul cried. He pulled over to the side and the deputy did the same.

"It's just Reggie," Kourtney said. She knew Reggie ever since he became a deputy. He was the youngest of the three, well now two since her dad transferred over. He regarded her like his little sister which was why he would always let things slide with her.

Paul opened his window as Reggie approached.

"You two," Reggie began.

"I know, I was speeding. I was just trying to get Kourtney home," Paul began to explain.

"Good," Reggie said. "Kourtney why don't you go and hop on in the deputy car; I'll take you home. Paul, just get home."

"He can take me home," Kourtney said.

"Kourtney, your mom has been worried sick. You left your phone at home and she had no way of finding out where you were. And Paul-"

"I know, I didn't hear my phone-"

"What were you two doing anyway?" Reggie asked.

"We were just a Rialto and we fell asleep," Kourtney said. Reggie raised an eyebrow up at Paul.

"Nothing happened," Paul said in a low voice, yet Kourtney still heard. She blushed when she realized what Reggie was most likely thinking. She then realized that her mother was probably thinking the same thing. She was not looking forward to that meeting.

"Kourtney, let's go," Reggie finally said. Before Kourtney could argue, he added, "Your dad's here. Your mom called him the second she realized she didn't know how to get a hold of you. And Paul, your dad's waiting for you, too."

Kourtney opened the door and gave Paul a quick kiss. She headed to Reggie's patrol car.

"Reggie, nothing happened," Paul told him. "She just wanted to get away from her mom and her boyfriend and Rialto Beach is our spot-"

"You don't need to explain to me," he told him. "Your dad and Sam however…"

"Sam?"

"They've been waiting," Reggie informed him. He sighed. "You know she's like my little sister right?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Yes, just like she's like Sam's little sister. Save the lecture, I'll probably hear the same shit from Sam."

Reggie nodded his head. "Drive safe."

With that, Reggie headed back to his car. He waited for Paul to drive off before jumping into the driver's.

"Reggie-"

He shook his head.

"You don't need to explain, I told the same to Paul. I think you two have enough to deal with from your parents."

Kourtney nodded. She remained silent as Reggie drove her back home.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Paul took his time to walk to his house from his car. Halfway there, Gene opened the door.

"Get inside," Gene said. Paul jogged the remaining way up.

"Dad-"

"Where the hell were you two? What were you doing? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"We fell asleep! That's it. I was tired from patrolling all night then going out fishing, okay? Kourtney just needed to get away for a little bit and I kept her company. She must have fallen asleep after I did! My phone was in the truck-"

Gene shook his head.

"Paul, her mother called me and accused me of knowing where you two ran off to!"

"Dad, her mom hates me-"

"I know and I would've thought you had more sense than to take Kourtney away without telling any of us!"

"I told Quil I was gonna be with Kourt!"

"Yet, he didn't know where you two were heading!" Gene yelled.

"I'm sorry, next time I'll be sure to let everyone know."

Paul made his way towards his room.

"Paul, you are my son and it hurts me when someone immediately thinks the worst of you. I raised you to at least have manners and respect. What you did today didn't help."

"You know what doesn't help? The fact that I'm a fucking 'spirit warrior!'"

"Paul!"

"No, dad! It's the only reason why I'll be stuck here while Kourtney moves on from the res! It's the reason I had to quit the team. It's the reason why I couldn't even be bothered to look into colleges. It's the reason why Mrs. Hunt will never approve of me being with Kourtney. It's the only reason why she's constantly trying to keep me away from Kourtney. If Kourtney had done this with Alex Skye, she wouldn't have batted one freakin' eye!"

"Leave!" Gene told him as he noticed Paul's arm start to shake. Paul threw off his shirt and stomped out of the house. He barely made it to the forest before he phased.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

Kourtney entered her house and the smell of coffee reached her nose. She knew her mom was in the kitchen. She tried to silently make her way up to her room, but her mom called out to her. Kourtney sighed and made her way over.

Ever since the weekend's fiasco over her disappearance with Paul, her mom had been home a lot. Kourtney tried her best to avoid her mom as much as she could, dreading the mentioning of her and Paul.

"Hi," Kourtney greeted. She made her way to the fridge.

"We should talk," Cynthia said. Kourtney sighed.

"Mom, Paul and I aren't having-"

"Not about that," Cynthia said. "We can just…move on from that."

Kourtney sat down across from her mom.

"I wanted to talk to you about me and Aaron," Cynthia prepared herself for Kourtney's reaction. "Now, just please listen."

Kourtney crossed her arms, but stayed put.

"Since he wasn't able to properly meet you last Saturday, I invited him over again this weekend. Kourtney, I think I've been more than lenient not grounding you after what happened-"

"Nothing happened," Kourtney said again.

"Nonetheless, I've still allowed you to go and see Paul despite you two going off and I think you can at least repay me by coming to dinner and meeting Aaron."

Kourtney thought about it. Her mom was right. After beign dropped off by Reggie, Kourtney faced her parents. While her dad was understanding, yet Kourtney figured he was still trying to get in her good graces, her mom had an earful to say. Despite that, her mom didn't ground her and instead let her continue to see Paul. After hearing her mom's request, Kourtney realized that she, too, was trying to get on her good side.

"Okay," Kourtney sighed. "I'll be here for dinner to meet him."

Cynthia smiled and made her way to her daughter. She kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you sweetheart, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

Kourtney gave her a small smile before retreating to her room.

.-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-. .-~*~-.

The next two days flew by and Kourtney found herself sitting at the dinner table, across from her mom and Aaron. So far the dinner and conversation had been pleasant and Kourtney was on her best behavior.

"So," Aaron said. "Your mom tells me you have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I do," Kourtney said. Aaron waited to see if she'd share more. "Uh, his name is Paul."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Uh, I don't really know," Kourtney admitted. "We just kind of…started hanging out…"

"Wasn't your first date around Christmas?" Cynthia asked. Kourtney looked up, surprised that her mom knew.

"Yeah."

"Cody insisted that he and his girlfriend go with them on their first day," Cynthia laughed.

"He was just being the protective older brother, huh?" Aaron said.

"Actually, Cody didn't like Paul at all. Same with my mom," Kourtney said. Cynthia stopped laughing and gave her daughter a look.

"Well, from what your mom tells me about Paul-"

"You can't really know someone from what you hear about them from someone else. Especially if that someone else doesn't like them," Kourtney said.

Cynthia opened her mouth to reply, but Aaron placed a hand on her leg.

"True," Aaron said. "I completely agree. I was going to say that Paul sounds like every other teenage boy. You know what they say, 'Boys will be boys.'"

Kourtney didn't know how to respond.

"You know, we should all go out to dinner some time," Aaron suggested. "A double date."

Even Cynthia seemed surprised at Aaron's suggestion.

"Uh, I'll have to see. Paul is pretty busy these days," Kourtney said.

"Where does he work?" Aaron asked.

"Well, uh, he helps his dad with fishing. Sometimes he helps out at the docks. Plus school work."

"Doesn't he help out Sam out, too? What does Sam do anyway?"

Kourtney took a drink.

"Uh, they actually help out with the Council. I don't know the exact specifics, but…yeah."

"Well, you let me know when your boyfriend is free and we'll all go out," Aaron told her.

Kourtney gave a smile. Once they were all finished, Kourtney helped her mom clear the dishes. Afterwards, Kourtney was invited into the living to watch a movie.

"I was actually going to head out."

"Where are you going? Don't tell me it's to see Paul. Didn't you see him at school today?"

"Yeah, but-"

"It's late-"

"It's only eight."

"Kourtney, why can't you just stay here? Spend some time with us?"

"Because I only agreed to dinner and that's it," Kourtney said. Aaron rubbed Cynthia's back and Kourtney heard him tell her it was okay. Kourtney rolled her eyes. She didn't need his permission to go out. "I'll take my cellphone with me and I'll let you know where I am at all times."

Kourtney turned to leave before her mom could say anything else. She hurried out the door and to her car. She drove off, not knowing where to go. She knew Paul was busy patrolling. She certainly wasn't going to Forks to see her dad. As for Emily's, she wasn't in the mood for a lot of yelling and horse-playing. Plus, she still was avoiding Sam.

Eventually, Kourtney ended up at the restaurant. Upon entering, Matt was ready to show her to a table.

"Actually, I just wanted to see if you guys needed help?" Matt didn't question her. Instead he let her loose to work around the restaurant.

Two hours flew by and soon the restaurant closed up for the night.

"Thanks for the help, Kourtney!" Myra told her. "If you ever have some free time and need something to do, come on by!"

Kourtney laughed and waved bye. She took her time to get to her car. Once settled in the driver's seat, Kourtney thought to go home. As she approached her house, however, she saw that Aaron's car was still on the driveway. Realizing she really had nowhere else to go, Kourtney made her way inside.

"I'm back," she announced.

"Kourtney?" her mom's voice came from upstairs.

Kourtney noticed that all the lights for the living room and kitchen were turned off.

"Mom?" Kourtney heard footsteps from upstairs.

"Where'd you go?" her mom asked as she descended down the stairs.

"Uh, I was helping out at the restaurant," Kourtney said.

"I thought you were going to see Paul."

"Where's Aaron? I saw his car is still here," Kourtney asked.

"He's upstairs," Cynthia admitted.

"Upstairs? Why…"

"He's staying the weekend."

"What? Mom your divorce isn't even finalized and you're already sleeping with him?" Kourtney cried.

"That is none of your business!"

"Mom, he's literally upstairs in your bedroom right now!" Kourtney spun around.

"You are not leaving!"

Kourtney ignored her mom and headed out the house once again. She got in her car and drove over to First Beach. She parked her car and stayed inside. Kourtney shuddered at the thought of her mom being with another guy. She couldn't believe that Aaron was now spending nights over at their house.

A sudden knock on the door caused her to scream. She heard a familiar laugh and she unlocked her doors.

"Sorry," Paul said as he climbed in. "I saw you driving this way and wondered if you were seeing your other boyfriend."

Kourtney smacked his arm and gave him a look. Paul laughed some more.

"What are you doing here then?"

"Getting away from them," Kourtney said.

"Dinner went that bad?"

"No, it was actually good. He wants to do a double date so he can meet you." Paul looked surprised.

"So…"

"He's spending the weekend."

"Oh," was all Paul said. Kourtney looked at him.

"He's spending the weekend," she repeated. "That means he is going to be sleeping with my mom in the same bed that she once slept in with my dad!"

"Babe-"

"Seriously, it's a small house, paper thin walls, I do not like the fact that I'll be sleeping on a couple of doors down from some guy and my mom… Argh!"

Paul leaned over and hugged her.

The sound of rain filled the silence.

"Babe," Paul began. "You're not gonna like what I'm about to say-"

"Then don't say it, Paul."

"But you need to hear it."

"I don't want to hear it, Paul!"

"Your mom deserves to be happy," Paul told her anyway. "I mean, after what happened between her and your dad, she deserves to be happy, too. Even if it is with someone besides your dad."

Kourtney sighed. Paul was right, but she didn't want to admit it.

"So, you ready to head home?"

"No," she replied. "I-I'm just not ready to be home right now."

"You're just gonna stay here? On the beach? While it's raining?"

Kourtney nodded. "I'll be in my car!"

"Babe… How long are you gonna stay out here then?"

"I don't know," Kourtney shrugged. "Until he leaves?"

"He's staying the whole weekend," Paul reminded her.

"I know."

"Well, I'm not gonna let you stay here by yourself," Paul told her.

"But won't you get in trouble," she teased.

"It'll be worth it." Kourtney smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

"How was your patrol?" She asked him.

"Tiring," Paul said as he yawned. "Seth almost lost at school today."

"Is that why you guys disappeared after lunch?"

Paul nodded.

"Didn't help that Leah basically handed it to Seth for not being able to control himself. I don't get why she had to be one of us."

Paul yawned again.

Kourtney bit back a smile and put her car in reverse.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you home," Kourtney said. "You look and sound exhausted."

Paul didn't complain. He wanted nothing more than to crash in bed. After his patrol he was ready to go home, but as he passed by Kourtney's house like he usually did, he saw that her car was gone. Worried that the dinner had gone wrong, Paul went on a search for her despite feeling exhausted.

Kourtney pulled up to Paul's house and turned to look at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You're going home now right?" Paul asked.

"I will, eventually," Kourtney said.

"Babe-"

"Paul," she said back.

"How about this, just hang out here?" Paul said. "My dad's home, probably watching TV. Just hang out here until you're ready to go home and I'll get to lay down on my nice comfortable couch and everyone's happy."

"Are you sure?" Paul nodded. Kourtney put her car in park and turned off her car. The two quickly ran through the rain and into Paul's house.

"Uh, are you sure your dad's home?" Kourtney asked seeing that all the lights were off.

"He should be," Paul said. "His car's out front. Dad!" Paul left Kourtney alone in the living room as he went to look for his dad. Kourtney took a seat on the couch. Paul returned and headed to the kitchen.

"Poker night at Billy's," Paul said as he waved a piece of paper around.

Kourtney stood up.

"Alright, well I should go then," Kourtney said.

"Babe, just stay," Paul finally said.

"Paul-"

"I'd rather get in trouble for having you stay here than you sitting in your car at the beach. Unless you want to go back to your house now-"

Kourtney gave him a look and proceeded to sit back down on the couch. Paul smiled. He clicked the TV on and sat next to Kourtney. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I thought you were tired?"

Paul shrugged. She giggled and snuggled up close to him. Soon enough, snoring was heard. She looked up at him and couldn't help but admire him. She thought about how good looking he was. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on he cheek.

"Mm," he said. Kourtney giggled and placed another kiss. Then another.

"I'm trying to sleep here," Paul murmured.

"Oh, sorry," Kourtney replied. "Let me just move and give you space."

Kourtney slowly disentangled herself from him, but Paul brought her back into his arms. Kourtney laughed as Paul attacked her with kisses. Soon their lips finally met for another kiss. Kourtney pulled away and saw that Paul was looking at her.

"What?" she asked him

"Nothing, just thinking about how lucky I am."

Kourtney smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. This time their kiss deepened. Kourtney slowly made her way onto his lap. Paul's hands ran down Kourtney's back. Paul broke away from her lips to trail kisses down her jaw and to her neck. Soon his lips were back on hers again.

Kourtney pressed her body harder against his.

"Kourt," Paul breathed. "Hold on."

He sat back into the couch. Kourtney stayed on his lap, catching her breath. He looked up at her wondering if she knew what would happen next if they continued. He wondered if she ever thought about sleeping with him.

Before he could say a word, the front door opened, revealing his dad.

"Shit," Paul said as Kourtney scrambled off his lap. "Dad!"

Kourtney looked down, too afraid to make eye contact.

"Hi, Mr. Lahote," she said quietly.

"Kourtney," Gene said, his voice stern. "It's late. Sam will drive you home."

Paul's face drained of color when he saw that Sam was standing at the doorway. He knew he was in trouble when he saw the look that Sam shot him. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid of his dad or his alpha. Kourtney stood up and gave him a small smile. Not wanting to argue about being to drive herself home, Kourtney bid Gene goodnight before making her way to the front door. Sam stepped aside to let Kourtney out. He sent Paul another glare before following Kourtney out.

"You don't have to drive me," Kourtney told Sam once they got to her car.

"I actually prefer it," Sam said.

"Sam, I'm an adult and I-" Sam held out his hand and nodded for her keys. Kourtney crossed her arms.

"Would you prefer if I call your dad? Or your mom? Or you're your brother?"

Kourtney sighed and rolled her eyes. They both knew that Cody wouldn't be able to do much since he was in Florida, but Kourtney got the message Sam was trying to send. Kourtney did not want any of her family to know that she and Paul were caught in a rather uncomfortable position. Uncrossing her arms, she handed him the keys and she made her way to the passenger's side.

"Is Paul in trouble?" Kourtney asked after a few minutes of silence. They were nearing her house soon and she wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"He knew the rules," was all Sam said.

"What rules?" Sam slowed her car down in front of her house. "You guys have rules regarding girlfriends? Or is it just for me and Paul because Cody asked you to look after me"

"You should get inside, Kourtney. Your mom is up and waiting for you." When Kourtney didn't move, Sam unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. It was only then that Kourtney followed suit.

"Good night," Sam said as he tossed her the keys. Kourtney caught it with ease.

"So you're not going to tell me what rules Paul and I broke?" Sam said nothing. "I don't even know what these rules are, but nothing happened."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, well, maybe Paul and I-"

"I don't need to hear it," Sam said.

"No, we were making out but we didn't have-"

"Good night, Kourtney," Sam said, his tone indicating that he was no longer discussing anything else.

Kourtney sighed and started to walk up the pathway. She walked up to her porch and disappeared into her house. Sam sighed and rubbed at his temples. He turned and sprinted into the forest. He knew Embry was patrolling and didn't want him finding out about what happened, so Sam opted to just run all the way to Paul's.

. -~*~-..-~*~-.-~*~-..-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Dad," Paul began since his dad still had yet to say anything. Gene held up his hand and Paul stopped. His son groaned and crossed his arms, falling back into the couch. When Gene still remained quiet, Paul spoke again. "Nothing happened, Dad!"

Gene gave him a look.

"Okay, maybe we… Look, I stopped, okay, just prior to you coming in, I stopped-"

"You know the rules, Paul. I'd be lying if I said that I fully trust you being home alone with your girlfriend. Remember what happened when you visited your mother-"

"Yes, I know. People like to hang that over my head, so yes, I remember."

Paul knew he was talking about the time he went to a party with his cousin while he visited his mom in Tacoma. Marianne and him had been fighting and were on a break. Paul acted out, got drunk, and ended up sleeping with another girl. It was something he never admitted to anyone, until they had a pregnancy scare. It was the first time in years his mother actually called to talk to his dad. Fortunately for him, it was a false positive. It was one of the rumors about him that were true. It was when he started to get the reputation for sleeping around even though he and Marianne got back together shortly after.

Paul sighed and covered his face with his hands. It was one of the biggest things he regretted, right behind not asking Kourtney out the second he met her. He dreaded the day when Kourtney would find out that the rumor was in fact true. Even Marianne didn't know it was true.

"Paul!"

"What?" he groaned. "You need to slow down with Kourtney. She's a nice girl-"

"Nothing happened! We made out and I stopped her because I knew things would…" Paul sighed. "You know she's been having problems at home. Her mom's boyfriend is staying at their house and she didn't want to be around them. She still hasn't really talked to her dad and she really didn't want to go home, Dad and I wasn't just gonna let her drive around in the rain by herself."

Gene sighed. He hated doubting and not trusting Paul, but he really wanted him to be more careful.

"I would never pressure Kourtney, Dad. I would never think about doing anything unless she was ready."

"I hope you mean until you two are married."

"Dad! We've been together for only a few months. I'm nowhere close to thinking about marriage."

"Then you shouldn't be thinking about sleeping with Kourtney."

"I wasn't!" Gene gave him a look. Paul groaned, realizing that Sam and his dad probably talked. The whole pack knew that he did think about it from time to time.

"You and Sam are just blowing everything out of proportion. Nothing happened. I respect Kourtney."

Gene sighed again and nodded.

"She's a nice girl, Paul. I like her for you. I know that she's your imprint, but please, don't rush into anything. Don't do anything to jeopardize your bond."

"Dad, I know. I love her."

* * *

 **AN:** You guys are amazing! I never realized how many people actually read this fanfic! My traffic has been amazing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review, I like hearing from you! Looking at my outline, I may chug out a few more chapters, but who knows, maybe I'll keep continuing it further if you all enjoy it so much! Finals are coming up for me, but I will try and update soon. Also, if you readers like Veronica Mars, check out my other fanfic for it!


	34. Chapter 34

Paul was laying on his couch watching TV when he heard his phone beep from his room. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 8 a.m. He got up, knowing that it was the time Kourtney usually was up. He'd been up since 6 and was just killing time until he had to go on patrol.

 **K: So how much trouble are you in?**

Paul laughed.

 **P: _I'm still alive, that I'm thankful for. You?_**

 **K: Fortunately Sam didnt talk to my mom or even mention anything to my bro**

 **P: _Is your mom's bf still there?_**

 **K: Yup, waiting on me so we can go to brunch at Forks.**

 **P: _Can I see u later?_**

 **K: How about now?**

 **P: _No, dont use me as an excuse to get outta brunch. Your mom will hate me more. Just let me know when you get back_**

Paul read Kourtney's reply and closed his phone. He sat on his bed and started to replay last night's events. Paul sighed when he realized how fast things escalated from a simple kiss. He wondered if the imprint bond had anything to do with it. He didn't dare to ask Sam or Jared about it. Sam was definitely the last person he'd talk to regarding anything closely related to sex. As for Jared, he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep their conversation out of his thoughts. The last thing he needed was for the rest of the pack to hear anything regarding him and Kourtney, although he had a feeling they already know what happened last night.

His conversation with his dad last night left him feeling scared. He admitted to his dad that he loved Kourtney. Due to the imprint bond, he knew it was bound to happen, but saying it out loud made it a reality. He meant what he told his dad. He loved Kourtney, he respected her, and he didn't want her to feel pressured after last night. While biding time until he had to leave, Paul thought more and more about last night's events. He wondered how things would have played if his dad and Sam not come home. Even if he did stop things from going further, he wondered what Kourtney would have wanted to happen. He knew that Kourtney was a virgin. It made him wonder why she didn't lose it to Alex even after being with him for two years. He wondered if she was saving herself.

Paul shook his head. He had to stop wondering. He knew that it was something he and Kourtney had to talk about. It may be the most awkward and uncomfortable conversation, but he wanted to make sure they were on the same page. The last thing he wanted was for them to take that step and have Kourtney regret it or even resent him. He heard a howl nearby, making him look at the clock. He knew it was his time for patrol. He got up and headed out the door.

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kourtney glanced over at Paul who seemed to be deep in thought. Since picking her up, he hadn't said much. While she chatted on, he only nodded or gave one word answers. Kourtney felt nervousness ease in. She wondered what he wanted to talk about. He seemed fine this morning, then again text messages didn't really convey emotions very well. Kourtney settled back into the passenger's seat and spent the rest of the drive in silence.

It only took ten minutes to finish their trip to Rialto Beach, it had become their spot.

 _'Surely he wouldn't break up with me here,'_ Kourtney thought. She shook the pessimistic thoughts away as Paul made a move to get out of the car. Kourtney undid her seat belt just as Paul opened her door for her. She took his head and he led her back to the bed of the pick-up.

"So, what's up?" she dared to ask, once Paul sat himself down beside her. She couldn't take the waiting anymore. Paul continued to look out into the ocean, not knowing how to best approach the subject. He was nervous. For all he knew, Kourtney didn't care about what he had to say and he'd just be making a fool of himself for making things a big deal. "Paul?"

Her voice drew him back and he looked over at her. She was looking up at him, her eyes full of concern, a small frown on her lips. It dawned on him that she probably thought something bad was about to happen.

Quickly he told her, "We should talk about last night."

Kourtney's face slowly relaxed. "Okay. Yeah, we probably should."

Before he could say anything else, Kourtney asked, "What rules does Sam have exactly? Are these rules just for you? Because of my brother? Or…"

Paul sighed.

"Just for me," he said quietly. "He…he doesn't trust me to be alone with you."

Kourtney nodded.

"But, we've been alone plenty of times. You've been to my house when my parents weren't home and you and I have gone out here-"

"Well, before you didn't know about us shapeshifters and we weren't dating back then. I haven't exactly been welcome in your house either so…" Kourtney nodded realizing he was right. Ever since her dad moved out, Paul hadn't really been staying over at all. "And…honestly, what happened last weekend didn't really help."

Kourtney was about to question what he meant, then she realized he was talking about them falling asleep at the beach. She slowly nodded her head.

"So…the rules?"

"I'm not supposed to be alone with you…especially at my house or your house…technically us being out here, far from the spying eyes of the guys, is probably breaking a rule too."

Kourtney sighed. "That's so stupid. Even more across the country, Cody's being-"

"It's not all you brother's fault," Paul said. "Sam is protective of you, too. And…"

"And what?" Kourtney prodded when he didn't continue.

"There's another reason why Sam set up those rules. Well, he and my dad."

"Okay?"

"You know, the rumors? About me?"

"Which ones?" Kourtney joked.

Kourtney knew he meant the rumors about him sleeping around, even while he was with Marianne. She never gave much thought to them, because she knew he'd never hurt Marianne like that. Besides, rumors that circulated around the res were always wildly exaggerated.

"It's true," Paul said quietly.

"Hmm?" Kourtney replied, turning her attention back to Paul. "What's true?"

Paul didn't say anything and Kourtney was left with an uneasy feeling. She rewound their conversation in her head and remembered that they were talking about rumors about him. Kourtney felt her stomach sink.

"The rumors…are true?" Kourtney asked.

"No, well, only one of them is."

"And which one is that?" Kourtney immediately questioned if she wanted to know. Either way, she braced herself for the answer.

"Remember when Marianne and I kind of got into a fight and broke up over spring break last year?" Kourtney slowly nodded her head. "I went to visit my mom…"

"What happened?"

"I….I met a girl…" Kourtney drew in a shaky breath. Paul noticed Kourtney's reaction and wanted to stop. He wanted to take back the whole conversation. He wondered why he even wanted to tell her this. Because he loved her and he wanted to be honest. Paul knew there was no way to back out now. He cleared his throat and finished. "Well, a few weeks later, she got a hold of me and told me that I got her pregnant."

"Oh, God," Kourtney cried. "Y-you got her pregnant? So it's true?"

"No!"

"But you just said-"

"It was a false alarm," Paul said.

Kourtney sat silent, taking in what Paul just told her.

"Say something, please," Paul said softly.

"I don't know what to say," Kourtney. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Just whatever you're feeling right now."

Kourtney shrugged. "I-I just can't believe that the rumor was true… I defended you…" Paul hung his head. "I knew that you would _never_ do that to Marianne. I told her that."

"I would never do that to you," Paul told her. Kourtney looked at Paul for the first time since he broke the news to her. His brown eyes bore into her, pleading for her to believe him. Kourtney opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked away again.

"Why did you tell me this?" Kourtney asked instead.

"Because my dad reminded me about it last night and honestly, I'd rather you heard it from me than find out from someone else and think I was hiding it. You wanted me to be honest with you, right?" Paul asked. Kourtney nodded her head. "And it's one of the main reasons why Sam and my dad have all these rules for me…"

Kourtney looked out at the ocean, the sun was slowly beginning to set. Kourtney felt the truck move and soon Paul positioned himself in front her, so that she had no choice but to look at him.

"Babe," he murmured as he slowly took her hand in his. His other hand found its way to her cheek. Kourtney gave a small smile. She pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him give out a sigh of relief. He placed kisses on her head. Kourtney pushed the feeling of unease out of her mind.

"We should head back," she said as she ended their embrace.

"Wait," Paul said. "Uh, I actually had more to say."

Kourtney raised an eyebrow. "How many rumors-"

"No! Kourt, no more rumors. That was the only one that…was…true…" Paul sighed. "I really should've just started with this then saved the rumor thing for last."

Kourtney leaned in and gave him a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "What is it?"

"I can wait," Paul said.

"Okay, then," Kourtney replied.

"No, I meant sex."

Kourtney dropped her hold on Paul and gave him a look.

Paul groaned. He wasn't really doing well with this conversation.

"Kourtney, I don't want to pressure you," he finally said. "I don't want you to feel like you…have to do something that you don't want to or aren't ready for."

Kourtney was beginning to understand what Paul was saying. A blush crept up her face.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

Paul waited for her to say something more.

"I'm sorry, if you want me to be honest, this is just an awkward conversation," she said.

"I know, tell me about it, but I think it's better if we kind of clear things up. I don't want you to end up resenting me or hating me for pressuring you. Not that I would ever! Just, you know…"

Silence fell between them. It wasn't long until Kourtney started laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "It's just really…awkward… But you're right, it is better that we clear it up. And…thank you for, uh, telling me everything."

Paul gave a smile, yet he was still uncertain of what Kourtney really thought. As if sensing his feelings, Kourtney placed another kissed on his lips. Then another, this time letting it go on for a little longer. Paul slowly pulled away.

"We did agree that we would wait, right?" Paul asked, making Kourtney laugh. "Now, you're just teasing me."

Kourtney pushed Paul away.

"We should go! They're all probably waiting for us at Emily's!" Kourtney laughed and made her way into the truck. Paul couldn't help but laugh, too. He was glad they got through the conversation and that they were now on the same page.

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kim glanced over at Kim. She couldn't help but notice that she was soaping the same dish for the third time. She reached over and took the dish from her. Kourtney gasped then looked over at her.

"I think it's clean enough," Kim joked. Kourtney gave a smile.

"Sorry."

Kim waited until they were all done with the dishes before saying anything.

"You alright?" Kim asked in a low voice before they neared the living where everyone else sat.

"Yeah, why?"

"You've been distracted," Kim simply said. She studied her friend and she knew there was something on her mind. Kourtney seemed to be thinking over whether or not to share. Kim followed Kourtney's glance into the living room. "Grocery store is almost closing. We should go and get some ice cream before it closes."

Kourtney looked confused. Kim took her hand and led her to the living and towards the front door.

"We'll be back," Kim announced. "Just gonna grab something at the store before it closes!"

Paul and Jared were the only ones who really took notice.

"Do you want me-"

"No! Me and Kourt will take care of it," Kim told Jared. Kourtney flashed Paul a small smile.

"We'll be back," she said. "Whose car-"

Kim yanked her out the door.

"Where are we going?" Kourtney asked when Kim kept walking further from the house.

"To talk, away from the super hearing of those shapeshifters of ours. So, what's going on?"

Kourtney sighed.

"If you don't want to-"

"No, I do. It's just…a little awkward to talk about," Kourtney explained.

"Does it have something to do with what happened last night?"

"I'm guessing everyone knows?"

Kim gave her an apologetic smile.

"Okay, well, Paul and I talked about it. He told me that he didn't want me to feel pressured and that he was fine with…waiting for me."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah…he also revealed why Sam was more strict with him in regards of being alone with me. He told me about the girl he met in Tacoma…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah, and…I just can't help wonder what if Paul and I end up having a big fight like he and Marianne did. Big enough to make him run off to some other girl-"

"He would never!" Kim exclaimed. "Kourtney, Paul really likes you. Trust me. If you guys ever fought like that, you should know that Paul wouldn't just give up and run off. After everything you guys had to go through to finally be together."

Kourtney sighed.

"He's not like Alex," Kim added softly. Kourtney looked at Kim. "Kourtney, Paul shared one of his biggest secrets with you. He trusts you. He even told you the truth about the rumor. You trusted him before today, right?"

Kourtney nodded.

"So why are you suddenly doubting him? After he admitted to one of the rumors being true?"

"No, you're right." Kim gave her a look.

"Then why do you still look unsettled."

"Well, it's something else…" Kim nodded for her to continue. "It's stupid."

"Well if it's bothering you, then it's obviously something."

"Okay, so you don't think it's stupid that Paul Lahote, of all people, actually wants to wait to have sex with me?"

Kim was surprised at the question.

"Are you saying that you…want…to?"

"No! I mean, not anytime soon. But I mean, it makes me question if Paul even thinks of me in that way. I told you it was stupid. But he and Marianne have done it like…a lot; she made sure to tell me that."

"And you think that Paul doesn't want to with you?"

"Nevermind. This is stupid. It's embarrassing, can we just forget this part of our conversation?"

"I think I understand why you're upset," Kim finally told her. "But I can't really help since I can't read this thoughts."

"Please don't mention this to Jared."

"I won't. I-" she stopped and looked around as she heard rustling. Her eyes widened as Leah stepped out from behind a tree.

"How long have you been there?" Kourtney asked.

"Not too long," Leah replied coolly as she passed the two girls. Kim and Kourtney looked at one another. Their attention snapped back to Leah as she started talking again. "By the way, Paul does think about in that way. Practically every time he gets back from one of your make out sessions and every time he hasn't seen you in like a day. Really pathetic actually."

"How's that pathetic?" Kim asked, glaring at Leah.

"Just let her go," Kourtney told Kim quietly.

"I would be worried, too, if I were you," Leah said. "I mean, even if he does agree to wait, sooner or later Paul's gonna need to vent out his, uh, frustrations out somehow. And if he can't do it with you…"

"Don't listen to her," Kim told Kourtney. "Misery loves company."

Leah glared at Kim and started advancing towards them.

"What'd you say?"

"What's going on?" Jacob asked as he and Embry appeared.

"Nothing," Leah said as she turned and entered the house.

Jacob looked at Kourtney and Kim who only quietly followed Leah.

"Hey, I thought you were getting ice cream!" Seth exclaimed.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Okay, can I know now?" Kourtney asked for the eighth time.

"No, not yet," Paul replied, still sounding patient yet amused.

"When will I know where you're taking me?"

"When we get there."

His reply earned a look from his girlfriend. It was the weekend again and Paul thought a little getaway was needed. Of course he had to run the idea by Sam. After explaining the where and the why, Sam finally agreed. Paul made sure to let Kourtney's dad know too, which may have helped in Sam agreeing for him to go. Paul gave Kourtney the heads up that he'll need her for the whole day. After picking her up at her house at nine, they set off on the road. It wasn't until they passed through Port Angeles that Kourtney started questioning where they were going. Paul only told her it was a surprise.

"I'm surprised Sam is letting you out of the res," Kourtney joked.

"Tell me about it."

Paul continued to navigate his way to their destination. He looked over at Kourtney and saw that she had fallen asleep. Paul felt nervous as he turned into the familiar neighborhood.

"We're here, babe," Paul said, gently nudging her. Kourtney opened her eyes. She saw that she was in a neighborhood. It was a nice, clean neighborhood with the streets lined with cookie cutter houses.

"Where are we?" Paul didn't answer. Instead he eased his truck into a driveway of a nice tan house.

"Whose house is this?"

"My mom's," Paul replied, nonchalant.

"What? Why didn't you tell me I'm meeting your mom?"

Paul laughed.

"You'll be fine."

"I'm freaking out over here! What if she hates me?"

"She doesn't."

"What?"

"She already knows about you."

"She does?"

Paul smiled and took her hand in his. They walked up the pathway and stopped in front of the white, clean door. Paul rang the doorbell. Kourtney heard voices from the other side. She looked at him and he gave her a smile. The door opened and revealed a little girl.

"Pauly's here!" the little girl exclaimed. Kourtney watched as the little girl jumped up and Paul caught her with ease.

"Paw! Paw! Paw!"

A little boy appeared, his eyes widened at the sight of Kourtney. His blue green eyes watched her questioningly. The little girl finally turned her attention to Kourtney.

"Who's this? Is this your girlfriend?"

"Yes. Sadie this is my girlfriend Kourtney. Kourtney, this is Sadie, my sister and Tommy, my brother."

Kourtney looked at Paul in surprise. She never knew he had siblings. Sadie wriggle from Paul's hold. Tommy took the opportunity to run to his older brother.

"HI Kourtney!" Sadie said.

"Hi, Sadie. It's nice to meet you," Kourtney said, sticking her hand out.

Sadie hugged Kourtney's legs. Then she grabbed her hand.

"Mommy! Pauly's brought his girlfriend!"

Paul laughed and Sadie led Kourtney through the living and to the kitchen. Paul followed closely behind, still carrying little Tommy.

"Mommy, look! Paul's girlfriend!"

Kourtney stopped as she saw a woman look up from her cooking. Her long black hair was done in two braids that fell to the small of her back.

"Kourtney!" The woman exclaimed. "It is so nice to finally meet you!" The woman took her into a hug. "He just couldn't stop talking about; he's so crazy about you. I've been bugging him to bring you over so I could meet and he finally did!"

Kourtney looked over at Paul who was beaming. 'Told you,' he mouthed.

"How was the drive? I bet your exhausted!"

"Well, Paul did all the driving," Kourtney said.

"Why don't you two settle in the living room. I'm almost done here."

"Where's David?" Paul asked.

"I had him run to the store to get desserts," his mom told him, giving him a warm embrace. "Nice to see you son."

She placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Mom," Paul whined causing Kourtney to laugh.

"Do you need help with anything, Mrs…" Kourtney paused realizing she didn't know what her new last name was.

"Call me Irene, sweetheart. And, no, you two go ahead and relax. I'm sure David will be here any minute then we can have some lunch."

"Smells, good!" Paul said, trying to sneak a peek at what his mom was making. She smacked his hand away.

"Go," she told him.

Kourtney followed Paul into the living room. Soon the two were bombarded with two small balls of energy. Sadie was quick to wedge herself between Kourtney and Paul while Tommy climbed onto Paul's lap.

"Honey I'm home!" a voice boomed.

"Daddy!" the two little kids squealed.

Paul stood up and held out his hand. Kourtney took it and let Paul lead her towards the kitchen again.

"Paul! Nice to see you again!" Kourtney watched as Paul shook the man's hand. He was almost the same height as Paul. His hair was of a sandy blonde with a little graying on the sides. His green eyes looked over at Kourtney who offered a smile. "And you must be the girl who managed to capture his heart."

Paul rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"Kourtney this is David, my stepdad and David this is my girlfriend Kourtney."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kourtney! Irene and I have been looking forward to meeting you," David said as he took Kourtney into a hug.

"We want ice cream!" Sadie and Tommy cried.

"Lunch first!" Irene announced. "Come on, take your places at the table."

Kourtney followed Paul to the table. She felt him take hold of her hand as she sat down. She gave him a reassuring smile. She wasn't as nervous as she was before. In fact, she had a feeling she would enjoy finally meeting Paul's mom's side of the family.

-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Did you have a good time?" Paul asked as they pulled into the highway. After spending four hours at his mom's house, he knew they had to get on the road if he wanted to get Kourtney home at a decent hour.

"I did," she replied smiling at him. "Your brother and sister are so cute!"

"Yeah," Paul laughed.

"And your stepdad is nice. He's hilarious, too."

"That he is."

"And your mom, she's just really wonderful," Kourtney said.

"That I know."

"You know what I didn't know?" Kourtney asked. "That you're such a mama's boy."

"I am not!" Paul exclaimed. Kourtney laughed. She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek.

"Babe? I gotta be honest with you," Paul said, taking on a serious tone.

"What?"

"I may have had an ulterior motive in bringing you to my mom's."

"What do you mean?"

"I, uh, I wanted you to see how happy my mom was."

Kourtney took a minute to understand what Paul meant.

"All I remember from when my mom and dad divorced was that she wasn't happy."

"And your dad?"

"Apparently, he didn't see it."

"Okay, but what your parents went through is totally different than what my parents went through," Kourtney said.

"Yeah, but your mom and dad were both unhappy. If your mom met someone else who can make her happy…" Paul looked over at Kourtney. He wanted to gauge her reaction before continuing. She didn't seem angry or upset. "Your parents can be happy, even if it's with someone else. Which I know you don't want, but-"

"No, I get it," Kourtney said in a quiet voice. "You're right. My mom does deserve to be happy and she seems to really like Aaron. It still…just sucks… When I saw your mom and David together, I just couldn't help but think back to when my parents acted like that."

Kourtney bit her lip to stop her lip from quivering. She felt Paul's hand wrap around hers.

"Babe?" Kourtney turned away, not wanting to show her tears. "Hey, babe."

He let of her hand so he could wipe the tears.

"I'm sorry," Paul said. He felt guilty for making her cry.

"It's okay, it's not your fault," Kourtney said. "Like I said, it just sucks. My parents are no longer together…"

It hurt Kourtney to admit it out loud, but even as her tears fell, she felt a sense of peace. It was as if her admittance was what she needed to finally accept the truth.

"Come here," Paul said. Kourtney moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Paul kissed her head and held her as best as he could while he drove them home.

-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

It was nearing ten by the time Paul pulled up to Kourtney's house. The car in the driveway hinted that Aaron was around.

"She wasn't kidding about him spending more time down here," Kourtney said. She held onto Paul tighter, not wanting to be away from him.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kourtney sighed. "Yeah, just a lot to take in and think about, I guess. But thank you for today, babe. It really did help."

"I'm glad," he said. He pulled her in for a good night kiss. As they kissed, Kourtney couldn't help but think of what Leah said to her the week before. Kourtney promptly ended the kiss.

"Good night," she quickly said before he could question her.

"Uh, good night," he said. He watched her walk up the pathway and disappear into her house before taking off for his own house.

-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Good morning," Kourtney greeted her mom and Aaron.

"Good morning," Aaron said.

"Where were you last night?" her mom asked right away.

"Cyn-" Aaron stopped when Cynthia gave him a look. "I guess I'll take my coffee, uh, in the living room."

Cynthia waited until he was gone to continue.

"What time did you get in?"

Kourtney sighed. She brought her bowl of cereal to the table and took a seat next to her mom.

"Mom," Kourtney began. "Yesterday, Paul and I went to Tacoma-"

"What?!"

"Mom, just listen please!" Kourtney pleaded. Cynthia nodded. "We went to Tacoma because he wanted me to meet his mom. And her new family."

"Oh?" Cynthia asked in surprise. "I wasn't aware that his mom remarried."

"She did. And Paul wanted me to see how happy his mom was, even after getting divorced…"

Cynthia looked even more shocked.

"Mom, Paul is a good guy. You would know if you took the time to get to know him rather than depend on all the rumors you hear about him." Cynthia didn't know how to respond to what her daughter had said. "Look, Mom, I want you to get to know Paul and you want me to get to know Aaron. What if we invite them over for dinner next Saturday? Like a double date? You and I can spend time together while we cook and get to know each other's boyfriends?"

Cynthia sighed, then a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"I think it's a great idea, sweetheart," Cynthia said as she pulled Kourtney into a hug.

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kourtney looked at herself in the mirror for the fifth time. She already tried on three different hairstyles and eventually settled with wearing her hair down. She straightened out her blouse and double checked the eyeliner and mascara she applied. After being distracted with grocery shopping and cooking with her mom, Kourtney finally felt the butterflies settling in. It was the night of the big dinner. Kourtney was nervous about Paul and her mom sitting down together, trying to be cordial. Add the fact that Aaron would be there too, meeting Paul for the first time. Though, she shouldn't care about that. He was just her mother's boyfriend. Her dad already approved of Paul, it's not like she didn't need Aaron's approval.

"Kourtney, Paul is here," came Aaron's voice. Her mom was no doubt still changing.

"Coming," Kourtney answered. She walked out of her room and headed to her mom's room. "Mom?"

"Almost done here."

"Okay, I'll be downstairs." Kourtney made her way down and was surprised to hear the two guys talking animatedly. She found them in the living room, seated on the couch, each with a beer in hand. "Paul!"

"He insisted!" Paul cried. Aaron laughed.

"Don't worry, Kourt. I won't tell your mom. Just go ahead and finish that before Cynthia comes down, yeah?" Paul nodded and took a look swig from his bottle. Aaron laughed again. "I like this guy!"

Kourtney rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide her smile. "Okay, make sure you pop a breath mint or something. Mom'll smell it on you!"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. He picked up his bottle and followed Kourtney to the kitchen. He placed the bottle in the trash and gave her hug.

"You nervous?" she asked.

"No, you?"

Kourtney nodded her head.

"Aaron's a pretty cool guy," he told her.

"You're here so my mom can get to know you better," Kourtney reminded him. They heard footsteps descending the stairs. "She's here."

Paul laughed at Kourtney's attempt to scare him. He took her hand in his and walked with her towards their dining room.

"Hi, Paul, nice to see you," Cynthia said with a smile. "Let's all have a seat for dinner."

Kourtney took her place beside Paul as her mom and Aaron got all the food laid out on the table. After they took their seats and everyone got their food, Cynthia cleared her throat. Kourtney stop and looked up at her mom. She knew that her mom was going to start talking. She glanced over at Paul, who didn't seem to notice. He was too busy eating. Kourtney bit back a laugh imagining Paul answering whatever question her mom had with his mouth full.

"So, Paul," Cynthia said. Kourtney set her fork down and looked at her mom again. Cynthia caught her eye but quickly looked over at Paul. He quickly finished chewing whatever food he had in his mouth. "I heard you two visited your mom last weekend."

Paul nodded.

"How was that?"

"It was good. It's always good to see her and David and my siblings."

"Siblings?" Cynthia asked, surprised.

"Yeah, uh, I have two younger half-siblings."

"How old are they?" Aaron asked.

"Six and three."

"They're so cute," Kourtney said.

"Yeah, they usually are at that age," Aaron laughed. "Then when they grow up to be your guys' age…"

"I'm not that bad," Kourtney said. "It's this guy over here-"

"Last I checked, I wasn't the last one to get suspended for fighting!" Paul teased.

"At least I can say that I never got arrested," Kourtney teased back.

Aaron laughed. "That I wouldn't be surprised. You're probably the only one who hasn't gotten arrested."

"What?" Kourtney looked from a grinning Aaron to her Mom, who was avoiding eye contact. "Mom?"

"Mrs. Hunt?" Paul asked, incredulously. "You got arrested?"

Cynthia glared at Aaron.

"Tell them, honey. You were speeding and when you got pulled over, you…"

"You what?" Paul asked, curious as to why his girlfriend's mom got arrested.

"Mom!"

Cynthia sighed.

"I tried to make a run for it."

Cynthia covered her ears at the reaction she got from her daughter and Paul.

"Mom! You tried running from the police?"

"It was when Sheriff Louie was still a deputy okay? He arrested me but let me go after a few hours!"

All three laughed. Eventually Cynthia joined in. She felt Aaron's hand slip into hers and she looked lovingly at him. Then she stole a glance at Kourtney and Paul, still laughing, talking in between their breaths. She saw how happy they looked together. It reminded her of how she and Jerry once were, back when they were in high school. Her heart ached when she thought of all the hurt and pain she endured the past year from their failed marriage. She only hoped that her daughter would never have to go through it. Even though she promised Kourtney that she would give Paul a chance, Cynthia still questioned whether or not Paul was the one for her daughter.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Aaron asked Paul for the third time. He and Paul seemed to have really hit it off.

"Yeah, I gotta meet up with some of my friends," Paul said. "Maybe next time."

Aaron nodded and shook Paul's hand.

"I'll, uh, let you two have some privacy," he said with a wink. Kourtney fought the urge to roll her eyes. She walked Paul out to the porch.

"Thanks for coming," Kourtney said, hugging him.

"Of course, babe," he replied, placing a kiss on her head. "You had a good time?"

"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. You seemed to have a better time than me though."

"Aaron's a pretty good guy," Paul said. Kourtney slowly nodded, knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit it. "He makes your mom happy. That's all that matters right?"

"Yeah," Kourtney sighed.

"Give him a chance," he continued.

"I know. I will. Since when did you turn into the mature one," Kourtney teased. Paul smiled and pulled her in for a kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Kourtney nodded. He gave one last kiss before talking off. Kourtney waited until his truck was gone from view before heading back inside.

"Come on, Kourt!" Aaron cried. "The movie's starting!"

Kourtney hesitated before answering.

"I'll be right there!"

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Paul was surprised when Marianne greeted him that Monday morning. Ever since her altercation with Kourtney, her interactions with Paul were minimal. She probably only said hi to him a few times for the past two months since.

"Hey," Paul said.

"I was just wondering if you thought about prom?" Paul gave her a look. "I meant if you and Kourtney were going or not."

"Uh, I haven't really thought about that. I'm not even sure if Kourtney is up for it."

"Are you kidding?" Marianne cried. "It's our last prom ever! Plus it's a masquerade! Of course she wants to go!"

"Well, Kourtney wasn't up for the last two dances," Paul said defensively.

"Prom isn't just a dance!" Marianne rolled her eyes. "Ask her to prom.

"Why? She's my girl-"

"Girlfriend or not, every girl wants some type of promposal."

"Promposal?" Paul asked. He wasn't sure if he and Marianne were speaking the same language anymore.

Marianne groaned.

"Ask your girlfriend to prom. And you need to make sure that you make a grand gesture of it! Trust me, Lahote."

"I'm sure Kourtney doesn't need a grand gesture," Paul began.

"Look, ever since we were little, Kourtney and I had always wanted to go to a masquerade ball," Marianne told him. "Maybe she doesn't need a grand gesture, but either way I think she'll like it if you did."

Paul considered her advice then nodded.

"Well, if you think so. I guess I'll think of something. Thanks!"

Marianne smiled and nodded before walking away.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Two days had passed and Paul still didn't come up with a grand gesture of asking Kourtney to prom. Even after going to Kim and Emily for advice, he had nothing. His next plan was to go ask Marianne for some ideas. Paul knew it was a bit weird to ask his ex-girlfriend for ideas on how to ask his new girlfriend to prom, but Marianne did use to be Kourtney's best friend.

"Hey!" Kourtney said, catching his attention. He was too busy finding a way to ask Marianne without it being awkward.

"Huh?"

"Are you listening?" Kourtney asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah," Paul said. He looked at Kourtney who was looking back at him. "What?"

Kourtney laughed and shook her head.

"I was asking about prom," Kourtney said.

"What about it?" Paul asked. Kourtney gave him a look.

"Are we going?"

"Are we going?" Paul repeated. "To, uh, prom? I-I don't know."

Kourtney gave him another look.

"Do you want to go?" Paul asked. ' _Shit. I hope she doesn't think that I was asking her. Some grand gesture, Lahote.'_

"I definitely want to go, but if you don't want to then it's okay," Kourtney said. She was really excited for a masquerade ball-type dance. She already picked out three potential dresses. However, she knew that Paul wasn't big on school functions and didn't want to force him to go. "I can go with Christy."

"I'll take you Kourtney!" Embry cried from down the hall. Kourtney laughed.

"No!" Paul cried back, scaring a group of students passing by. He apologized then he turned to Kourtney again.

"So you do want to go?" Kourtney asked, not hiding her excitement.

"Yeah," Paul said. Then he groaned, realizing what he just did.

"What? Look, babe, if you don't-"

"You have a way of spoiling surprises, Hunt," Paul interrupted. "I was trying to make a grand gesture of asking you."

"Really? What were you gonna do?" Kourtney asked.

"Well…" Paul began. "Eh, I got nothing. I was still trying to come up with something."

Kourtney laughed.

"I'll save you the trouble and we'll just agree that we're going."

"Yes!" Paul said, relieved that he was off the hook for a promposal.

"I bet Embry would have thought have something," Kourtney teased.

"Hey!" Kourtney responded by giving him a kiss.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that settled, I need to find Christy."

"Why?"

"We're gonna go dress shopping!" Kourtney squealed with excitement. Paul smiled at how excited she was. "Can you turn this in for me?"

"Yeah, sure. Wait, why don't you?"

"Because I'm going dress shopping," Kourtney repeated.

"You're gonna ditch? Don't do that!"

"Says the King of Ditching School," Kourtney replied.

"And you know that I have a valid reason."

"Well, I do, too," Kourtney smirked, as she wrapped her arms around him. "You'll just have to wait until prom to see."

With that, she gave him one more kiss before setting off to find Christy.

"You suck at being romantic," Marianne teased as she passed by.

* * *

 **AN:** So I was having problems trying to upload this new chapter. I found a possible solution (obviously), I just hope it doesn't mess up my other chapters. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was being lazy while writing it! I apologize. I feel as thought I am losing my excitement for this story. I do plan on at least finishing it though. I also hope to make it up to you readers by making sure the next chapter(s) are better! Let me know what you think! Your reviews give me life!


	35. Chapter 35

Paul woke up with a start. He felt his heart racing and his arms start to shake. A howl cut through the quiet night air. It was Sam. It was his alpha call. Paul knew that meant only one thing: vampires. He scrambled out of bed and ran out of the house. Covered by the darkness of the night, Paul phased before he even reached the coverage of the trees.

' _What's going on?'_ he asked.

Answers of _'A leech!'_ and _'Fucking vampire!'_ overlapped.

Paul continued running. He eventually ran past Jared.

' _She's not there!'_ Jared informed him. Paul quickly turned around, falling in sync with Jared. _'It's that redhead from before.'_

' _What redhead?'_ Paul sensed Jared's hesitation.

' _Her mate was James, the leech who tried to go after Bella,'_ Jacob informed him. He growled when Paul started complaining about another Bella mess they had to clean up.

' _It's our mess, too,'_ Jacob said.

' _She's not one of us and she isn't your imprint,'_ Paul reminded him.

' _Now's not the time!'_ Sam's voice boomed. _'Focus on tracking her down then we can all regroup.'_

The pack spent another two hours going back a forth around the res. So long as they could get her scent from their borders, they knew she was far enough away.

Paul tried his best to phase back quickly. Once back in human form, he quickly got dressed and headed to Emily's house. Sam, Jared, Embry, and Leah were all present.

"Last one again," Leah scoffed.

"Shut up, Leah! I recall we have a few more members that aren't present."

"They're patrolling," Sam and Leah said at the same time. Leah glare at him and took a seat on the steps.

Sam cleared his throat.

"Look, this Victoria vampire is seeking revenge for her mate's death."

"Why-"

"As long as she's around, trying to get back at the Cullens, that means she'll be too close to the res. Because of the treaty, the Cullens can't cross over to go after her."

Paul cursed under his breath. He despised the Cullens, not because he was supposed to, but because they were the reason he was one of the pack members. It was an ongoing conflict Paul had: he didn't really like that he was able to phase into a big wolf, but at the same time, he was thankful for his new pack family.

"Did you hear me Paul?" Sam asked when the anticipated reaction he had didn't come.

"What?" This caused Sam to sigh.

"We're going to double up on patrols." Paul grumbled. "Paul, that means you're going to have to miss prom tomorrow?"

"What?!" Paul exclaimed. There was the reaction that Sam expected. "Are you fucking serious?"

Sam gave Paul a look.

"Sam, come on! Can't I take on patrol now and take off just before prom starts?"

"And what if we need you while you're at prom?" Sam asked.

"Then I'll leave and back you guys up ASAP! Sam, Kourtney's really looking forward to this-"

"We were all looking forward to a lot of things," Leah said. "You're not the only one getting screwed over by this damn spirit warrior, vampire killing bullshit."

"Leah, shut up!" Paul shouted for the second time.

"Paul! Enough!" Sam bellowed. "You will not go to prom unless we catch Victoria. Everyone will stay here until we get the damn leech. Understood?"

All of the members nodded their heads. Paul felt his head nod even though every inch of him wanted to disagree.

"Can I at least go see Kourtney and tell her?" Paul asked. Sam nodded his head. Paul began to turn.

"You can wait until tomorrow," Sam said. "I'm sure she's asleep right now."

Paul sighed.

"Everyone go home for now, but come back first thing in the morning," Sam told his members.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kourtney woke up to her cell phone buzzing on her nightstand. She groaned. Her mood got a little better when she saw that it was Paul.

"Hello?" she answered.

" _Good morning, sunshine,"_ came Paul's voice.

"Good _early_ morning." Paul chuckled. "What's up?"

She heard Paul sigh on the other end.

"What's wrong?" Kourtney asked, sitting up.

" _I'm sorry, babe. I can't make it to prom tonight._ "

Kourtney took a second to digest what she was just told.

"What? What do you mean?"

" _Warrior business,_ " Paul said.

"Warrior-wait, are you joking? Paul if you're trying to-"

" _I'm serious,"_ Paul told her. " _We have something we need to take care of and Sam thinks it's best if we all are readily available in case... I'm sorry."_

Kourtney took a breath before answering.

"It's okay, I understand," she said, trying her best to hide her disappointment. Kourtney eyed the dress bag that hung on her closet door. It was where her prom dress was safely kept. She sighed absentmindedly.

" _Babe, I'm_ so _sorry,_ " Paul said again.

"It's okay," Kourtney repeated, making sure to sound more cheerful.

" _You should still go."_

"Paul-"

" _Kourt, I know how much you want to go. It's your last prom-"_

"Our last prom," Kourtney said. Paul sighed and she realized that her comment didn't help with his guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean- This sucks."

" _I know. But just because I'm not going doesn't mean you shouldn't go. Go and have fun with your friends! Kim is gonna be there despite Jared not going either."_

"It won't be the same, but… I guess I'll go."

" _Promise me._ "

"I promise."

" _Good,"_ Paul replied, although he still felt guilty and upset for not being able to go.

Kourtney sighed.

"It's just too bad that you won't get to see my dress," she teased.

Paul groaned, making Kourtney laugh.

" _You're not making this easier_."

"Good. Now you can suffer the whole day wondering what I'm wearing to prom, all while fulfilling your warrior duties."

Another groan.

" _I gotta go, babe. Sam's here,"_ he added quietly, even though he knew Sam was still able to hear. In fact, with the way the guys were looking at him, he knew that they all heard his conversation.

After hanging up, Kourtney tossed her phone to the side. She was no longer sleepy. It was 12 hours until prom and Kourtney wasn't as excited anymore, but she did promise to still go. Yet now, she didn't feel the pressure to look extra nice. She wasn't trying to impress anybody else besides Paul. She sighed and snuggled back in bed. At least now that she didn't have to deal with all the fuss of getting her hair and make-up done, she had extra time to just sleep.

.-~*~-. ~*~-.~*~-.~*~-.~*~-.

Paul ended his call with Kourtney and set his phone back down. From the corner of his eye, he knew that Sam was looking at him. Paul continued to stare straight at the TV, not wanting to meet his alpha's gaze. He saw Sam sigh then shake his head before walking into the kitchen.

"What the-" Paul started as a throw pillow smacked him on the face.

"Too bad you're missing out on Kourtney's dress," Embry said.

"Shut up."

"Lighten up, Embry," Jared told him. "Kim's pretty upset that I'm missing out on prom tonight. I'm sure Kourtney feels the same."

"I just don't get why we can't even go for half an hour," Paul cried.

"I know why," Seth said, excited that he had something to contribute to the conversation. "Sam said because he doesn't like the fact that prom is being held at the hotel."

"Where else does he expect it to be held at? The school gym?" Paul asked.

"I think the point was that, well, I mean I'm sure all of us know what favorite teenage past time happens after prom," Embry said with a laugh. His laugh was cut short when both Jared and Paul threw a punch at him.

.~*~-.~*~-.~*~-.~*~-.~*~-.

Kourtney made her way to the refreshment table. Another slow song was playing, and being that she, Christy, and Kim were without dates, Kourtney offered to get drinks. She focused on pouring the drinks, not wanting to think about the fact that Paul wasn't there. Although she was trying her best to have fun with her friends, she still wished Paul was there. Kourtney picked up the drinks and started back for their table.

"Thanks," Christy yelled over the music.

"What time is it?" Kourtney asked.

"Almost eleven" Kim said. She sighed and gave Kourtney a small smile which was returned. Both girls were disappointed that their boyfriends weren't there for their last prom.

"You guys wanna go?" Kourtney asked. "I'm pretty sure it'll be all slow songs until they shut this prom down."

Kim and Christy nodded just as Marianne and Nate approached their table.

"Picture?" she asked.

"Sure!" Christy answered. All four girls huddled together as Nate took a couple of pictures.

"Looking good ladies!" Nate told them as he looked over the pictures.

"Let me see!" Christy said. She and Kim made their way over to Nate.

"Hey, Kourt," Marianne said, tapping Kourtney's shoulder. "Look who's here."

Kourtney turned to where Marianne was looking. Her heart skipped a beat and a big smile spread on her face. She watched as Paul scanned the room until his eyes met hers. He gave her a smile as he made his way towards her. Kourtney continued to smile as she moved to close the distance, too. She jumped to put her arms around his neck as his arms found their away around her waist.

"What are you doing here?" Kourtney asked.

"I was a little curious about this dress you kept teasing me about," he told her.

Kourtney laughed and unwrapped herself from him. Taking a step back she did a little spin. Paul looked her up and down. The navy blue dress fit around Kourtney's curves perfectly. Now that he was up close, he realized that the top portion of the dress was sheer with silver lace detail placed strategically to cover her breasts. The back of the dress was open and ended near the small of her back.

She turned back to him and smiled. Paul pulled her back to him.

"You look beautiful," Paul told her before placing a kiss on her lips. His hands slowly moved down her bareback as he deepened their kiss.

"Simmer down, lover boy," Jared's voice came. Paul pulled away just as Jared purposely bumped him. "Hey, Kourt!"

The two watched as Jared wrapped his arms around a surprised Kim. He pulled her out on the dancefloor as the DJ announced that the dance would be ending soon. Another slow song began to play. Kourtney looked back to Paul.

"Well, at least you made the last ten minutes," Kourtney joked. She began to pull him towards the dancefloor, but he shook his head.

"I have something else in mind," he told her. Kourtney looked at him questioningly. He only smiled and tugged her hand to follow. The couple started for the exit, but was stopped by Marianne and Nate.

"Wait, before you two run off, how about a picture of La Push High's favorite couple?" Marianne asked with a genuine smile.

Paul immediately pulled Kourtney close to him, his hand resting at her waist. The two smiled as Nate clicked away.

"I'll send you two lovebirds a copy," Nate teased. "Maybe you could use one of them for the montage at your wedding."

They laughed.

"Thanks, man," Paul said. He took hold of Kourtney's hand and continued towards the doors.

"Where are we going?" Kourtney asked once they were out of the hotel's ballroom. Paul only continued to walk towards the lobby. Kourtney's heart hammered in her chest as a thought crossed her mind. She wondered if Paul somehow made a reservation for a room at the hotel. She had wondered it before when she overheard Leslie and the other girls teasing Kayla about prom being the night for her and her new boyfriend. After the events of the previous weeks and the talk that they had, Kourtney wondered if _that_ was on Paul's mind. Kourtney reminded herself that Paul said he would wait until she was ready. Then she questioned if she was ready. A part of her said yes. ' _Why else did you choose this dress?'_

Kourtney was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize where they were going until the cold night air hit her skin. Paul had led her through the lobby and outside of the hotel.

"Where are we going?" she asked again.

"To the beach," he told her."

"To the what? Paul! Isn't it a little late to go to the beach, not to mention cold?"

"No," he answered with a smile. He headed towards the sand. Kourtney had to stop and take off her heels, but Paul picked her up and carried her instead. Kourtney finally saw where they were headed. It wasn't hard to miss. A small section of the beach was roped off with Christmas lights. Tiki torches stood at the corners of the area. Rose petals were scattered all around the sand. A picnic blanket was laid down in one corner.

Kourtney squirmed to be put down as they neared the area. Music was softly playing

"Paul, you did this?" Kourtney asked.

"I did owe you a grand gesture of some sorts," Paul said.

"A little for a grand gesture of asking me to prom, isn't it?"

Paul laughed.

"I had something else in mind."

"Oh?" Kourtney asked, waiting for him to explain. Instead, Paul held out his hand. Once her hand was in his, he led her over to the blanket.

"Courtesy of Emily," he said as he began to pull out an assortment of food.

"How long have you been planning this?" she asked. "Did you really have business to tend to?"

Paul nodded.

"I was planning this for tomorrow as a way to make up for missing prom, but since we got our business finished earlier than expect and prom was already half way done, I decided to just do it tonight."

"So you did this all within the last two hours?" Kourtney asked.

"Yeah," Paul said sheepishly. "I guess I could've just gone to prom then, huh?"

"No, babe, this is perfect," Kourtney said leaning in for a kiss. "Thank you."

Paul smiled and leaned in for another kiss. He heard a faint howl, making him pull away. He stood up and offered Kourtney his hand. He helped her up.

"Now, we dance," he said as he pulled her onto their makeshift dancefloor.

"Are you sure? I've seen you dance," Kourtney teased.

"Hey, I'm a damn good dancer," Paul said as he dipped her down. Kourtney giggled as he gave her a kiss before bringing her upright again.

"Eh." This time Paul had her spin around before bringing her back to him. Their bodies were close and Kourtney's arms found their way around his neck. She rested her head on his chest, enjoying the warm feeling of his arms wrapped around her. Kourtney closed her eyes as she listened to his heart beat. She let out a giggle then looked up at him.

"Your heart is going crazy," she told him. Paul chuckled. "Or is that a shapeshifter thing?"

Paul shook his head. He took that moment to cup her cheek and place another kiss on her lips. As they parted, Kourtney gave him a smile and he felt his heart beat faster. Still looking into her eyes, he finally said the words he'd always wanted to say.

"Kourtney," he said softly. "I love you."

Kourtney's brown eyes lit up.

"I love you, too, Paul Lahote."

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

 _Thunk!_

Kourtney looked up from her textbook. She was studying for her last final. She couldn't believe that she had a little less than two weeks left of school. After that it was graduation, then onto college! Anxiety set in whenever she thought about college. She already decided on University of Washington despite her mother constantly trying to change her mind. She was nervous about being away from home and from Paul. The only good thing was that she was able to be dorm mates with Christy. Plus, Leslie was also going to attend UW so her friend count in college was automatically a solid number two.

 _Thunk!_

Kourtney hopped out of her bed, realizing what the sound was. She neared her window just as another object hit it. _Thunk_! Kourtney opened her window.

"Finally!" Quil cried.

"You have a phone, don't you?" Kourtney asked, amused.

"Yeah, but this is more fun. You busy?"

"Well," Kourtney began. She looked back at her bed that was covered with her textbook and her multiple pages of notes. "I could use a break."

"Great! Can you drive me to Jake's?"

"Can't you like…run there?"

"I could," Quil said. "But that means I'll have to phase and that means I'll have to hear all of Leah's thoughts and-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Kourtney said. "You guys should be nicer to her."

Quil scoffed.

"Do you want a ride or not?"

"You're blackmailing me?! You know, I'm the nicest one to Leah. Well, besides her own brother and Sam. Then again, Sam avoids being phased while Leah is and he doesn't really say much-"

"Quil!" Kourtney said impatiently.

"My point is, Paul is the worst at being nice to Leah. You should blackmail him. But instead, you should tell him you won't kiss him anymore or something like that."

Kourtney laughed.

"Okay, I'm heading down now. Meet me at my car or you'll have to walk." Quil opened his mouth to reply, but Kourtney already shut her window. When Kourtney got down to her car, she saw that Quil was already sitting inside.

"Hurry up," Quil cried as Kourtney got in the driver's seat. She hit his arm. "Why do all the girls do that?"

"Bella's here?" Kourtney asked as they approached the Black's house. As if to answer her question, Bella suddenly appeared with Jacob.

"Hey guys!" Quil cried to them. Not wanting to be rude, Kourtney hopped out of her car to say hi.

"Hi," Bella replied, shyly.

"Kourt, can you keep Bella company? I just need Quil to help me move something in the garage."

Kourtney nodded. The girls stood in awkward silence as the two boys headed in the garage.

"So, are you ready for graduation?" Kourtney asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

"What college are you going to?"

"Uh, Dartmouth," Bella answered in a low voice.

"What? Dartmouth?! Wow! That's amazing!"

"What about you?" Bella asked, clearly uncomfortable with the talk about her.

"University of Washington," Kourtney said. "Which is nowhere as impressive as Dartmouth!"

"Can I ask a question?" Bella suddenly asked.

"Sure!"

"What does Paul think about you going to college four hours away?"

"He's not against it, if that's what you're getting at," Kourtney replied. "I'd still come home for the weekend. Paul even said that he'd be able to visit me, too. We'll make it work."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle being away from him?"

Kourtney nodded.

"It's only four hours away." Kourtney found her questions to be a bit odd. She wondered if Bella saw her as one of those girls who needed to be with their boyfriend all the time. While she didn't, Kourtney realized that she was in fact always with Paul. When she wasn't, she missed him so much it made her heart ache. "I'm sure we'll make it through."

"I hope so," Bella told her with a smile. "Jacob makes it seem as though the impri-"

"Hey!" Jacob cried as he ran out of the garage. "Uh, Kourtney shouldn't you go home and study?"

Kourtney gave Jacob a look.

"We're taking off here soon-"

"I just got here," Bella told him.

"Quil's gonna need a ride home," Jacob said, not acknowledging what Bella said. "Quil!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready to go home," Quil said, looking over at Jacob.

"Okay, I'm not even going to ask what's going on between you two," Kourtney said, throwing her hands. "Come on young Ateara."

"Wait, Kourtney!" Bella cried.

Kourtney already opened her car door, but she stopped and looked to Bella.

"Your dad says hi. And that he misses you," Bella quickly said before looking away.

"Oh," was all Kourtney said. She hadn't spoken to her dad in weeks and what Bella told her threw her for a loop. "Uh, thanks."

Not knowing what else to say, Kourtney gave a wave before getting in her car. Quil followed suit. Once she was on her way down the road, Bella turned to Jacob.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Bella said.

"It's okay," Jacob told her. "We know that he misses her, but I don't think she's ready to talk to him yet."

"And what was that about?"

"Oh, I should've told you, but Paul hasn't exactly told Kourtney about the whole imprinting thing."

"Wait, so she doesn't know that she's his imprint?"

"She doesn't know anything about it."

"So she doesn't know that she is his soulmate?"

"No." Then Jacob smiled. "But I'm pretty sure she won't be too surprise when she finally does know."

"What do you mean?"

"If you think imprinting is romantic, then wait until you hear Paul and Kourtney's story," Jacob said.

. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

A little over a week later, Bella found herself sitting around a bonfire with members of the Uley pack. The Council members were also presents as well as the imprints of the pack members. After hearing about Paul and Kourtney's love story, Bella couldn't help but continually glance at them. The temperamental Paul had his arm around Kourtney's shoulders. He smiled as Kourtney said something to him. Kourtney leaned into Paul as Paul placed a kiss on her head.

Bella couldn't believe that Paul actually had a soft side to him. Jacob commented that Paul was whipped all due to the imprinting. While Jacob didn't seem to be a fan of imprinting, Bella thought it was somewhat romantic.

Billy Black, Jacob's dad called for everyone's attention. It was time for the legends to be told. Bella looked around, aware that certain members of the pack were looking her way. She knew that a few of them were against having her there, but since she knew their secret the Council agreed she should hear them.

Once the legends were told, Jacob excused himself. He made eye contact with Sam and nodded him over.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"We may have a problem," Jacob said. Sam nodded. He looked around, discreetly signaling the other pack members to join the conversation. Once everyone was present they moved away from any prying ears.

"What mess do we have to clean up now?" Paul asked. Jacob glared at him, but he knew that Paul was right and he wasn't going to like it.

"A leech was in Bella's room," Jacob told them.

"Let me guess, he was pale, messy hair, gold eyes," Paul said.

"Wait, that must be her leech boyfriend, Edward Cullen!" Jared cried. Paul, along with Embry and Quil chuckled. It soon stopped when Sam and Jacobs shot them a look.

"They don't know who it is," Jacob said. "But apparently he took a few of Bella's things."

"She has a leech stalker, how is that our problem?"

Jacob sighed in frustration.

"Edward thinks it's connected to that red head. I think we need to be extra vigilant when we patrol now."

"Jacob's right," Sam said before Jared or Paul could comment. "I know Forks isn't our territory; the Cullens can take care of the leech themselves. But we do need to watch out for our people. We cannot allow for any leeches to get close. If a leech is on the loose in Forks, we need to make sure that they at least stay off our land and away from our tribe."

"Sam, Edward thinks there's more to it. Something big might be happening," Jacob shared.

"Either way, we need to be prepared and like Jacob said, vigilant. If something big is happening, we all need to start taking our duties even more seriously!"

The pack members were all silent, taking in what their alpha just said. A feeling of uneasiness settled in all the members. While they had a dislike for the Cullens, they knew that they had a vampire with psychic-like abilities. If Edward Cullen suspected that something big was about to go down, they knew that there was a chance it was true.

* * *

 **AN:** Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed this short chapter. *Sigh* I feel myself getting lazy with this one. It's a shame, I know a lot of people enjoy this FF. I need to do better on my chapters! I will! I promise! I've been juggling between this and two other FF, which was probably my downfall. However, I have decided to prioritize this FF since my other two haven't been generating as much interest as this one. Hope you somewhat enjoyed this chapter! Review please and let me know what you think!


	36. Chapter 36

Kourtney ignored the rapping on her door. The three rhythmic knocks were a giveaway as to who it was.

"Kourt?" came her older brother's voice from the other side of the door. Cody arrived home only an hour ago. Despite not talking since his last visit, Cody still decided to fly in to watch her graduation. "Can I come in?"

The younger of the Hunt siblings closed her eyes. She sighed as she remembered Sam's words from the day before, _'He's your brother and he was just being protective.'_ Emily agreed with her fiancé's words. ' _It's been six months. I'm sure you and Paul have proved Cody wrong by now.'_ Kourtney smiled to herself as she recalled Paul's words after, ' _Longer than any relationship he's ever had.'_

Realizing that it was once again quiet on the other side of her bedroom door, Kourtney jumped out of bed. She opened up her door just as Cody reached his bedroom just down the short hall.

"Hey," she called. Cody looked back at her in surprise. "You wanted to come in?"

Cody gave his sister a smile. He was glad that she was talking to him again. Needing only a few steps to close the gap, he pulled his sister in for a hug.

"I missed you, little sis," he told her. Kourtney returned the hug before stepping back in her room. She sat at the head of her bed, leaning her back against the headboard. Cody opted to sit at the foot of her bed. His eyes looked around her room. Immediately he saw her collage of pictures on the space above her desk. Most of the pictures were of her and Paul, with some including her and friends. He was quick to notice that family pictures were lacking in her collage.

Cody felt his heart sink. He could understand why his picture wouldn't be around, but not seeing any pictures of their parents made him realize how jaded Kourtney was.

"I'm sorry," Cody finally said. He turned his body so that he was facing her. She had her arms crossed, her head turned and her eyes focused out the window. "I'm sorry for everything."

He gave her feet a nudge when she didn't respond. Kourtney turned her head to him and gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry that you had to deal with mom and dad by yourself," he told her. Her smile slowly turned into a frown. Her brows furrowed together. Cody knew she was expecting an apology for something else. He laughed. "I know I have a couple things I have to apologize for, but just let me talk first, okay?"

Kourtney's mouth formed a line, but she nodded nonetheless.

Cody sighed.

"Kourtney, I'm sorry that mom and dad couldn't make things work. I know how much you wanted them to." Cody paused. He was struggling on what to say next. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you. I should've figured that you being here by yourself while mom and dad bitched and fought every day…"

"It's okay," Kourtney said. "It is what it is Cody. It's over between them. I'm slowly accepting that."

Cody nodded. He sighed again.

"Now, apology number two," he joked. "I'm sorry for how I acted over you dating Lahote. He wasn't exactly my first choice for you as your boyfriend."

"Let me guess, Alex was? You know, the jackass who cheated on me?"

Cody chuckled.

"I get your point, Kourt. Apparently, Dad's known a lot longer than us that Paul is a good guy. He's liked him from the very start." Cody watched for Kourtney's reaction. She suddenly looked disinterested in what else he had to say. "Look, I know that Dad isn't your favorite person in the world right now-"

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"He's hurting, you know?" Cody told her.

"Really? So am I," Kourtney said. "He's the reason why our family is broken."

"No it's not! We're just…a different kind of family now."

Kourtney let out a laugh.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I know it's not the same, but it's something still. Mom and Dad still talk, you know? They're…acquaintances."

"From happily married to acquaintances," Kourtney said with a wavering voice. "It's all his fault."

"Look, Kourtney, I wanted Dad to come over for a family dinner. All four of us together again, but if you're not up for it I can just-"

"Go for it," Kourtney told him. "Have dinner with Mom and Dad. I'm sure they'll like that."

"And you?"

"I will be with my boyfriend." Again, Cody had to bite his tongue. Not wanting to open his mouth, he just nodded. With that he stood up and made his way out of her room.

Kourtney watched as her door closed gently. Immediately she reached for her phone and dialed Paul's number. She groaned when it went to his voicemail.

"Patrol," she told herself. She typed in a quick text letting him that she would be at Emily's. Not wanting to be home when her dad arrived, Kourtney quickly went to get ready. After she was all dressed with her hair done up, Kourtney descended the stairs. Her stomach grumbled and her mouth watered as she smelled the food that her mom cooked. She heard Cody and her mom's voices in the kitchen and proceeded there.

"Hey, Mom-"

"Where are you going?" Cynthia immediately asked. "Your dad is going to be here any minute-"

"Mom, just let her go," Cody said. "It's fine, we can have a dinner, just you, me, and dad."

Cynthia ignored him and faced Kourtney, her arms crossed.

"Sweetheart, if you're going to see Paul why don't you just invite him over for dinner?"

Kourtney laughed.

"Mom, if you're thinking 'the more the merrier' then I'm sorry to say but that doesn't really apply to this family dinner. I mean, half of the people who will be present for the dinner can't even stand the other half."

"Kourtney, you know that I've warmed up to Paul-"

"I wasn't talking about you, Mom," Kourtney said. She cast a glance at Cody who only shook his head. "I won't be out too long."

With that, Kourtney spun around and headed to the door. As she stepped out, she could hear her mom begin to question Cody.

"I thought you said you were going to apologize!" She heard her mom say.

Kourtney practically ran to her car. She was hoping to avoid driving past her dad. Once inside her car, she immediately turned the engine on and peeled out onto the road. It was only when she got to the stop sign that she let out a sigh of relief. She just needed to turn right and she'd be on her way towards Emily's. She knew she wouldn't pass her dad there.

As she approached the house, Kourtney took in the empty space in front of the house. The space was usually filled with the guys' cars. She knew that Sam and Emily parked their cars to the side. Kourtney slowly stepped out of her car and looked around. It was rare that Emily's house would be without the pack members.

She looked to the house as the door opened.

"Hey!" Sam called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I thought I'd come and hang out for a bit," Kourtney explained. "Where is everyone?"

"They all decided to do a pack run," Sam told her.

"Without you?" she questioned. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry! Am I…interrupting something?"

Sam looked shocked at the question and then laughed.

"No, you're not," Sam told her. He nodded for her to come in.

"No, it's okay. I-"

"Emily's baking some desserts. Trust me, the boys will be back the second that oven timer dings."

"Are you-"

"Would you rather I carry you in?"

Kourtney rushed up the steps and into the house. The smell of chocolate filled the air. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she still had to eat.

"I made a plate for you!" Emily called from the kitchen.

"It's like instead of reading minds, she can read people's stomachs," Kourtney joked. She followed Sam into the kitchen. A plate of food was set at the table.

"Thanks, Emily!" Kourtney said as she sat down.

"Wasn't your brother flying in today?" Emily asked.

"Oh yeah," Sam said looking at his watch. "Wait, wasn't he supposed to land-"

"He's here," Kourtney told them. "He came in a couple of hours ago."

Emily and Sam looked at one another. Emily urged Sam to continue the conversation, but Sam didn't know how.

"Did you two talk?" Emily finally asked.

"We did," Kourtney said.

"Didn't go well?" Sam asked.

"No, it did. He apologized. Then he had a brilliant idea of having a family dinner with _all_ of us. But I just couldn't do it."

Sam nodded.

"What?" Kourtney asked.

"Huh? Nothing," Sam said.

"I just thought that you would have more to say with my dad being on the council and all," Kourtney shrugged.

Sam mirrored her action.

"I hated how people always tried to comfort me with words when my dad left me and my mom," Sam said. "Your situation is different, but I don't want to say the wrong thing or have you think I'm telling you what to do or how to feel."

Kourtney smirked.

"This philosophy doesn't extend to your pack?"

Emily laughed out loud. Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Someone has to look out for you while Cody's not around."

"Yeah, besides," Emily jumped in. "You and Paul took forever to finally get together! We're just making sure he won't mess it up."

"My ears are burning!" came Paul's voice from the front of the house. It was followed by the chatter of a few of the boys.

"And that is my cue," Emily said. She placed a kiss on Sam's cheek before setting off to get the food ready.

"Anything new?" Sam asked as Paul walked into the kitchen. Paul sent a smile towards Kourtney before answering his alpha.

"Nope," he simply answered.

"Who's left on patrol?"

"Not Leah." Sam cocked an eyebrow. "What? She's the only one we try to avoid being phased with right?"

"Paul!" Emily and Kourtney cried.

"Seth's not here," Paul said. "He and Jake are left on patrol. Embry had to head home. Dumb and dumber are the only ones who came back with me."

"I heard that!" and a "Hey!" were heard from the living room.

"I think someone needs to eat," Emily said, frowning at Paul.

"I'm starved!" Paul agreed. Soon, Jared and Quil came running into the kitchen. Paul took his share of food and nodded at Kourtney to follow him. She stood just as Sam did.

"I'm gonna do a quick run and check in with Jake," Sam announced. He walked over to Emily to give her a kiss before slipping out the back door. Kourtney and Paul headed to the living room. It didn't take long for Paul to devour his food.

"Better?" Kourtney asked with a laugh. Paul replied by pulling her closer.

"So, how's that brother of yours?" he asked causing Kourtney to laugh.

"He's the same. He did apologize though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he apologized for how he reacted to us." Paul continued to look at Kourtney. "And that's it."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, he quickly segued into how much my dad seemed to like you from the very start and of course he started in on how much my dad is hurting…" Kourtney shook her head. Paul placed a kiss on her forehead as she leaned in on him. "Am I terrible for not wanting to have anything to do with my dad?"

Paul didn't reply but Kourtney felt him shake his head. She knew he had more to say. She pulled herself back to look at his face.

"He does miss you. He checks up on you through me," Paul told her, which she already knew. "But, I think he's slowly starting to get the point…"

Kourtney didn't know how to feel with what her boyfriend just told her. She sorted through all her feelings in her head. Paul brought her hand to his lips.

"Things will work out, eventually," he told her. She slowly nodded. The opening of the front door caught the couple's attention.

"Hey college girl!" Embry called out.

"I thought you had to run home to your mommy," Paul said. Kourtney smacked his chest. Embry only flicked him off in return.

Upon hearing Embry's voice, Jared and Quil decided to join the trio in the living room.

"I wonder how long till Kourt leaves Paul for a college dude," Jared said as he ruffled Paul's hair as he walked by. Paul let out a growl.

"One week!" Quil said.

"Quil!" Kourtney exclaimed. Her neighbor only shrugged. "You guys are really bad friends."

"Ah, he knows we're just teasing!" Jared said. Paul only continued to glare at Jared, who only smiled back.

Kourtney moved back closer to Paul.

"So how often are you gonna come visit me?" Embry asked.

"You mean Paul, my boyfriend?"

"My name's Embry."

Kourtney let out a laugh.

"Okay, that was pretty smooth," Kourtney admitted.

"Don't encourage him," Paul muttered as he wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting at the side of her hip.

"Watch the hand, Lahote," Jared said. "I'm under orders to report any inappropriate behavior."

"You are not!" Kourtney cried.

The door opened once again and this time, their alpha appeared.

"Guess who I saw walking around," Sam cried.

"Cody!" Kourtney cried in surprise as her brother walked in after Sam. She saw how her brother's eyes quickly moved to Paul's hand that rested on her hip. Kourtney sat straight and Paul slowly brought his arm back to his side. "What are you doing here?"

Cody shrugged.

"Dinner went by faster than I expected. Dad headed back home and Mom wanted to head to bed early so I thought I'd stop by and visit Sam and Emily." Kourtney gave him a look. "Hey, you said you were hanging out with Paul. Didn't know that meant that you two would be here."

Kourtney slowly nodded her head, accepting his answer.

"Beer?" Sam asked, wanting to avoid any awkwardness.

"Sure!" Cody followed Sam into the kitchen.

"Surprised that you didn't fly off the handle there," Sam joked as he passed a bottle of beer to Cody. He took a long swig from the bottle before answering.

"Well, after nearly six months of the silent treatment from my sister, plus dealing with my parents' bullshit, I realized that Kourtney had a lot to deal with. And…I was glad and surprised that Paul stuck with her through it all. I was wrong about him."

From where Sam sat at the head of the table, he could see part of Paul's head. With the way it was tilted to the side, he knew that Paul was listening in.

"Wow," Sam said. "So I'm guessing you and Kourtney smoothed things over?"

"I apologized yeah," Cody shared. "But I didn't admit that I was wrong about him."

Sam laughed.

"A part of me still doesn't like it," Cody admitted.

"Because he reminds you of how you were. All flings, all the time."

"Hey! I was with Rachel most of high school!"

"Bro, you were like on and off. Every other month there was a break up followed by a quick fling with another girl before getting back together."

Cody took to taking another long swig from his beer. Sam got up and brought out the rest of the six pack. Cody reached for his second one, while Sam still nursed his first bottle. Cody sighed before taking a drink from the bottle.

"Annabelle and I broke up."

Sam wasn't surprised at the revelation, but he was surprised at the sadness in Cody's voice.

"There'll be another one," Sam told him.

Cody shook his head.

"I thought she was the one, man."

"Not the first time I've heard you say that, Cody." This caused Cody to take in more of his beer.

"It's the one thing I'm missing, Sam. Everyone," Cody nodded at him, "is settling down and I-"

"You got yourself out of the res! More than I can say about myself."

"Yeah, well, for me, it's gotten to the point where everything I do just feels…lonely."

Sam felt bad for his good friend. Despite what he told Cody, Sam didn't mind that he was stuck on the res; as long as he had Emily by his side, he was happy.

"She'll come to you eventually," Sam told him. Not knowing what else to say, Sam settled on rambling off a few clichéd phrases. "When you meet her, you'll know."

Cody polished off his second beer. He looked over to his side, where he saw Paul place a kiss on Kourtney's head. He felt a small stab of jealousy. He wondered why all his relationships ultimately failed, no matter how hard to tried to make them work. Then he wondered how and why Kourtney and Paul seemed to have it easy. As close as he was to Kourtney, it hurt when she clearly chose her relationship with Paul over listening to him.

"Is he good enough for her?" Cody asked.

"I can't think of anyone better," Sam replied honestly after a minute passed. While Cody busied himself with his third beer, Sam caught Paul's glance. His third in command gave him a quick nod of appreciation. Sam nodded in return.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"What are they talking about?" Kourtney asked Paul. "I know you can hear them!"

Paul shook his head.

"Cody's just talking about his break up with his girlfriend."

"They broke up?" she cried. She glanced at the kitchen, hoping her outburst wasn't heard. "Shit. I didn't even know that…"

"He sounds pretty broken up about it," Paul continued. "He told Sam something about everyone settling down but him."

Kourtney sighed.

"Never knew he of all people would think like that," she said, feeling sorry for her brother. Paul noticed the look of concern on her face. He also noted another emotion he couldn't quite figure out.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Kourtney shrugged.

"I just feel bad… I ignored him for months even when he tried reaching out to me."

"Talk to him then," Paul said. Kourtney nodded. Her hand went up to her mouth as she yawned.

"Sorry," she said. Soon Embry tried stifling a yawn.

"Look what you did," Jared said as he yawned, too.

Kourtney giggled.

"You should go, babe. Rest up. Tomorrow's the big day."

"Aw, is it your wedding day?" Jared teased. Paul didn't even bother to react while Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"Uh, let me tell Cody I'm heading out," Kourtney said, letting go of Paul's hand. He decided to hang back.

"Hey, Cody," Kourtney called as she entered the kitchen. The smell of beer filled her nose. "I'm heading home, you want to catch a ride?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay a little longer." Kourtney eyed the second six pack of beer that sat on the table in front of him.

"Don't worry about me," Cody said. "I'll be nice. I'll behave."

This earned a laugh from Sam.

"Sam will keep an eye on me."

"Maybe I should stay-" Kourtney said.

"Hey, you gotta wake up early tomorrow, remember?" Paul said as he joined the three in the kitchen. Kourtney groaned when she remembered about her plans of heading to Forks to get her hair and make-up done in time for graduation. Kourtney looked at Paul then her brother.

"I'll be fine," Paul whispered.

"He'll be fine," Cody repeated.

Kourtney seemed hesitant.

"Go!" Cody insisted. "Paul pull up a chair and have one."

Kourtney and Paul looked at one another.

"Hey, you wanted me to get to know him, right?"

Before Kourtney could answer, Paul pulled out the chair and sat down. Kourtney continued to stand.

"So you joining us or heading home to get your beauty sleep?" Cody asked. Kourtney sighed. She glanced at Sam.

"I'll make sure they behave," he told her. Kourtney nodded.

"Call me later?" she asked Paul who nodded. She decided against kissing him in front of her brother. Once she was out of the house, Cody grabbed another bottle and slid it towards Paul.

"Come on, Lahote," Cody said. "Don't act like you've never had alcohol before. I remember seeing you at one of the parties I went to when I was a senior."

Paul looked to Sam who gave him a nod of approval. He grabbed the bottle, twisted off the cap, and took a sip. Cody laughed.

"Which party was that?" Sam asked.

"You weren't there," Cody told him. "It was when you ran off without an explanation."

Sam realized what he was talking about. He took a sip of his beer as he reminisced about the first time he ever phased.

"So you two been living up your senior year?" Cody asked Paul.

"Not really," Paul said. "I already lived up my senior year last year. Didn't need to do it again."

"And Kourt?"

"Uh, she's avoided a few of the past parties."

"I hope that carries onto college," Cody said. "I can't believe she's going off to college. Aren't you worried?"

"Me?" Paul asked. He looked over at Sam who was still deep in thought. "No, I'm not. We'll make it work. I trust her."

Cody finished off his beer.

"You know," he said as he slid the empty beer bottle away. "My mom is thinking about moving over to Seattle."

"Really? That's news to me."

"Yeah, and it'll be news to Kourtney, too. Apparently she and her boyfriend, Aaron, are already discussing moving in together."

Paul took a sip of his beer as he thought over what Cody just told him. If Kourtney's mom did move to Seattle, he wondered how often Kourtney would visit La Push.

"I don't like the idea." Paul came back from his deep thought. "I get that my dad fucked up and hurt my mom. I get that she deserves to be happy and that she is with this Aaron dude, but I don't like the idea of my mom being with someone who isn't my dad. I don't like the idea of her moving in with him when they're not even married or even thinking about getting married!"

Paul knew it was the power of alcohol that was making Cody spill out his feelings.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want my parents together. That shipped has sailed. I know Kourtney still has it in her mind that our parents belong together, but that's bullshit. I don't want them back together, but at the same time I don't want them with anyone else." Then he laughed. "You know what's funny? Kourtney wants my parents back together, but at the same time she's warming up to the idea of my mom seeing this Aaron guy."

Paul looked at Sam who seemed to be back from his thoughts.

"You met him right?"

"Yeah, uh, we all had dinner together once. He's alright. I mean, I barely spent time with him, but from the few times I did, he's alright."

"Mom invited him to graduation."

"What?" Sam asked, almost spitting out his beer. Cody nodded. "How about your dad?"

"He said he wouldn't miss his baby girl's graduation for anything in the world."

"So…both of them are going to be there?" Sam asked. Cody nodded again.

"Any suggestions?"

"Don't let Kourtney see your dad," Paul said. Cody scoffed.

"Well, tomorrow should be interesting then." Cody stood up. "I should head out now. Thanks for the beers, Sam."

He shook Sam's hand and patted him on the back. Cody then turned to Paul and held out his hand. Paul took it.

"I'm glad that Kourtney has you."

"You need a ride back?" Sam asked.

"No, I think the walk back will sober me up." Sam nodded and watched as his friend headed towards the front door. Once the front door shut, Sam looked at Paul.

"Congratulations, you finally got the Hunt family's full approval."

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-

"We did it!" Christy squealed as she threw her arms around Kourtney.

"Guys! Group picture!" Nate cried as he quickly set up his tripod. The seniors all crunched in together for the picture.

"Bonfire at the beach tonight!" Brian cried.

Paul looked over to Kourtney who nodded her head. It was their last bonfire together after all. After taking in more pictures, the new graduates dispersed, going off to find their families.

Kourtney turned around to find Paul staring at her.

"What?" she asked, still beaming. Paul laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"I couldn't have done this without you."

Kourtney felt her heart skip a beat as her stomach seemed to fill with butterflies. She felt the same way she did before when she first realized she was starting to have feelings for Paul Lahote.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you," Paul replied. "You have no idea how much."

Kourtney giggled as she tiptoed for a kiss.

"Break it up!" came Cody's voice. Paul and Kourtney pulled apart just as their families approached them. Kourtney glared at her brother who only smirked.

"Paul!" Gene said as he walked over to his son with his arms wide open. Kourtney looked on as the two Lahotes embraced.

"I'm so proud of you," Gene murmured.

"Thanks Dad." Gene looked at Kourtney and made his way to hug her. "Thank you for what you did for Paul."

"It was no problem."

After the obligatory congratulations and sentiments were said, Cynthia sprang into action.

"Okay you two, let me get a picture!" Paul and Kourtney gave their best smiles as Cynthia clicked away on her camera. "Okay, Gene why don't you join the two?" Cynthia instructed. "Then Cody you can join then next one."

This went on for the next twenty minutes; Cynthia instructed who would be in the picture and where they should stand. After taking her share of pictures with Paul and Kourtney, she went on to check the pictures in her camera.

"Man, my cheeks are starting to hurt," Paul said. Kourtney laughed.

"Okay, Mom, I think you've gotten enough pictures," she called out before her mom went into another spurt of photo taking.

"How about your friends?" Cynthia asked as Jared and the rest of the pack made their way towards them. Kourtney caught a look at Paul who was massaging his jaw already. She bit back a laugh.

"Congratulations guys!" Emily greeted first as she threw her arms around the couple.

"Come on! Let's get these pictures taken!" Cynthia cried.

"I'm not smiling this time," Paul told Kourtney.

"Yes you will!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Cody why don't you join in? Sue, where's Leah?"

"Oh, don't worry about her, Cyn. She'll probably just be scowling away. I wouldn't want her ruining the pictures," Sue joked.

"Leah! Come here!" Seth called out. The rest of the guys grumbled making Cody chuckle.

"What's wrong with Leah?" he asked.

"She's just a bi-ow!"

"Okay, look over here!"

Everyone followed Cynthia's commands and held their smiles while she clicked away.

"Alright, Mom, can we chill with the pictures?" Cody asked. "I think we're all smiled out!"

"Hey, you guys headed to the bonfire tonight?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, I think Kourtney actually wants to go to this one," Paul said.

"I thought there was a reception thing at the center?"

"We're going after," Kourtney said.

"Wha-" Cody stopped midsentence as he casually glanced behind his sister. His eyes were suddenly glued onto none other than Leah Clearwater. His head suddenly blanked on what he was going to ask and was soon filled with Leah's face as he was seeing her. Leah seemed frozen at her spot as her eyes continued to meet his. Cody was barely aware that he was now walking towards her.

"Uh, Cody?" Kourtney asked. Cody's behavior didn't go unnoticed. The rest of the pack watched as Cody made his way to Leah, who still stood where she was, unmoved.

"What just happened?" Seth asked.

"Guys did…she just… Or was it Cody?" Jared asked.

"What's going on?" Kourtney asked.

"Uh, nothing," Paul said as he threw his arms around her shoulder and walked her away from the pack. Seeing the look that Leah and Cody had for one another, he was more than certain that she imprinted. Or was it Cody who imprinted on her. Either way, Paul still wasn't ready for Kourtney to hear the word 'imprint.

"Kevin?" Kourtney suddenly cried in surprise. "Kevin!"

Kourtney disappeared from under Paul's arm. She squealed with delight as she ran up to a guy Paul didn't recognize. She threw her arms around him. Paul could feel his pack brothers looking at him. They all seemed to be wondering who the guy that his girlfriend was hugging was. Paul shrugged at them.

"What are you doing here?" Kourtney asked.

"I heard my favorite cousin was graduating and even though she didn't bother to invite me, I decided to come and congratulate her anyway!"

Kourtney gave him a look.

"You live in Montana!"

"Yeah, and?" Kevin asked nonchalant.

"Kev, why are you here? Not that I'm not happy to see you. I know it's not just to see my graduation!"

"Well, I was in the neighborhood," he said with a shrug. "So I figured why not come down and visit?"

"Is it just you?" Kevin nodded.

"Hey, Kevin! So you did make it!" Cody greeted as he returned to the group. Kourtney glanced at her brother. She couldn't help but feel there was something off about him. She briefly caught Leah who seemed to be looking over at Cody.

"You knew he was in town?"

"Yeah, dad mentioned it."

"Oh."

"I mean, I'm sure he would've told you, too if-"

"Speaking of your dad," Kevin interrupted. "Have you seen him? I kinda lost him after the ceremony."

"He's here?" Kourtney asked in surprise.

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"Hey, babe," Paul said, saving Kourtney from answering the question.

"Let me guess, Paul?"

"Uh, Paul this is my cousin Kevin. Kevin my boyfriend, Paul."

"Uncle Jer talked about you quite a bit last night," Kevin chuckled. "Never thought he'd ever approve of anyone dating his baby girl."

Kourtney looked to the ground.

"So, I heard you were from Montana?" Paul asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," Kevin replied.

"What brings you to La Push?"

"Just visiting," was all Kevin offered as an answer. "It was nice meeting you. Congrats on the graduation. I need to go look for Uncle Jer."

"Are you leaving? How long are you here for?" Kourtney asked.

"I don't know," Kevin said.

Kourtney frowned at his answer.

"Kevin-"

"I'll see you later, Kourt." Kourtney watched as her cousin disappeared into the crowd.

"Kourtney, Paul," Gene called. "We should start heading over to the center."

Kourtney let Paul lead her through the crowd. She couldn't help but look through the sea of people. A part of her wanted to see if she could spot her dad. Once she did, she didn't know what she'd do. She remind quiet and thoughtful through the short ride over to the center.

"Are you staying in your robe?" Paul teased.

"Huh? Oh, no." Kourtney pulled the graduation robe over her head and straightened out the dress she had under.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just…No, I'm okay," Kourtney said with a smile. For one day, she didn't want to worry about any problems. She pushed her dad and cousin out of her mind. At the sight of Leah, she realized that she needed to push whatever was going on between Leah and her brother out of her mind too.

"Let's go party!" Kourtney joked.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kourtney's goal of not dealing with other people's problems didn't last long. As she made her rounds around the center, greeting the people of the La Push community and thanking them for their congratulations, she spotted her cousin sitting along in the corner. She had yet to see her dad. She wondered if he was keeping away for her sake or because he didn't want to see Aaron who was supposed to be there. After some last minute talking, Cynthia asked Aaron to just stay at the house to keep from causing drama with Jerry.

Kourtney, growing tired of smiling and making small chat, made her way to the table where her cousin sat at. She had no idea where Paul ran off to. She guessed he went to run around with the pack boys since they seemed to be absent as well.

"Hey, you!"

"Hey, Kourt." She took a seat next to him. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

Kevin sighed.

"I'm guessing you want to talk?"

Kourtney shrugged.

"Only if you want to."

"I kinda don't right now."

Kourtney sighed.

"I know that something is going on." A few minutes passed and Kourtney was ready to give up when Kevin finally spoke.

"Grandma and grandpa can't take care of me anymore," he finally said. "And, surprise, surprise, my mom isn't exactly thrilled to be a parent again."

"Oh," Kourtney said, regretting that she asked.

"Uncle Jerry offered for me to stay with him until I figure out what I want to do."

"What do you mean? Where else would you go? Your dad?"

"Fuck no," Kevin said bitterly. "I don't want anything to do with that motherfu-"

"Kevin," Kourtney said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry."

"Your mom seriously doesn't want you staying with her? I mean, you're sixteen. I'm sure the hard part of parenting as passed." Kevin scoffed.

"Having her sixteen year old son kinda cramps her style when it comes to all those guys she brings home."

"Well, why don't you stay in La Push?"

"With you?"

"Well, no. I'm leaving for Seattle in a couple of months. But I mean, I'm sure my mom won't-"

"I don't think your mom would want me staying with her."

"Why not?"

"I mean, it'll be awkward."

"Then stay with my dad," Kourtney suggested. Kevin looked at Kourtney.

"Kourt, why don't you talk to your dad?"

She immediately crossed her arms and looked away.

"Hey, you made me talk, now you have to talk."

"I didn't make you talk," Kourtney muttered.

"Alright, fine. Don't talk," Kevin said, as he crossed his arms.

Kourtney felt silly and immature. As silence continued between them, she finally stood up and started to walk away.

"He's leaving, you know," Kevin called out.

Kourtney stopped. She was fighting the urge to turn around and question what he just said. Kevin saw her hesitation and quickly spoke again before she could start walking away.

"He's going down to Texas. You're gonna be gone off to college in Seattle anyway, so he doesn't feel a need to stay here…" Kourtney felt tears prickle her eyes. She quickly wiped them off before someone could notice. "Talk to him, Kourt."

Kourtney continued walking on, her cousin's request repeating in her head. Kourtney kept her head down, eyes on the ground, as she navigated her out to the hallway.

"Ow!"

"Sorry-"

"Kourtney?"

Kourtney looked up and saw Bella standing in front of her.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No, Bella," Kourtney said, wiping the tear that rolled down her cheek. "Just an emotional day today."

Bella bit her lip and fidgeted with her sleeves.

"Uh, it's nice to see you here!" Kourtney said.

"Thanks, Jake invited me. I hope that was okay."

"Of course! Uh, I haven't seen the guys around lately. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"Oh okay. Um, congratulations by the way!" Bella offered.

"Thanks!"

"Are you ready for yours?" Bella nodded.

"I'm more than ready."

Kourtney laughed.

"Well, I, uh, I'm having a graduation party this Sunday. You are more than welcome to come! Paul, too, I mean, if he wants."

"Really? Thanks, Bella!"

"Jake and Embry and Quil are going, too."

"Well, then maybe I'll just go with them and not bring Paul. I don't want him to ruin your party," Kourtney laughed. "I know he can be a bit…"

"Of an asshole?"

Kourtney laughed even more.

"It's okay. I understand where he's coming from," Bella said. Her statement made Kourtney look at her questioningly. "I-I mean I know that he doesn't like me and-"

"Bella! You made it!" Jake's voice boomed throughout the hall. Kourtney watched as Bella looked relieved at his presence.

"Hey, Jake, you're going to Bella's party right?" Kourtney asked.

"Of course."

"Can I ride with you then?"

"You're going too?"

"Yeah, Bella just invited me."

"Alright! How about-"

"He can stay. We don't need him spoiling our fun at Bella's graduation party," Kourtney joked. "Speaking of, where is he?" As if on cue, the doors to the center opened. The hallway was soon filled with the booming voices of the pack.

"I'll see you guys inside." Kourtney went to meet Paul.

"Hey babe," he greeted.

"Where'd you guys go?"

"Just for a run," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. "I saw Devin already heading down to the beach. You wanna head to the bonfire now?"

"Yeah, let's go! Let me go tell my mom so she doesn't send Reggie to look for us again." A few minutes later, Kourtney returned. "So, can we jump off the cliff again?"

* * *

 **AN:** I apologise for the long wait! School has consumed my life! Honestly, I am losing interest in this story. I will be finishing it out though! I already had two follow up stories for this, but I'm afraid I'm just going to cut it short. I have found inspiration in another Twilight fanfic and like all new writings, I am amping and exciting to start writing that one! I think I will crank out another chapter or two out for this story! I hope you liked this one, even though I felt like I did a half-assed job on it. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind and rewrite some of the recent chapters; I feel like I haven't been giving a 100% to them.

Done with the rambling. I hope you enjoyed! What do you think will happen next? =)


	37. Chapter 37

Paul strode into Emily's house despite the dull pounding in his head. After heading to the annual post-graduation bonfire with Kourtney, it finally sunk in that he was now a high school graduate. Paul celebrated, to say the least. Sam must have had Jared standing close by from the way he immediately showed up after pounding down his 12th beer.

"Good morning Paul!" Jared and Embry yelled as he entered the kitchen.

"Shut the fu-"

Emily cleared her throat and glared at him.

"Sorry, Emily," Paul mumbled as he took a seat. The smell of banana nut muffins hit his nose. Despite it being his favorite, Paul pushed the basket of muffins away.

"Had fun last night?" Emily teased.

Paul only groaned. The groan only continued on as he heard Jacob and Seth approaching.

"Hey, Paul!" Seth exclaimed cheerily. Paul gritted his teeth. Being the youngest of the pack, Emily was more protective of Seth. Snapping at him would have proved to be bad for Paul.

"So twelve beers, huh?" Jacob said, looking amused.

"Shut up, Black!"

"You should get going," Jacob continued. "Leah's already started patrolling."

Paul's head snapped up.

"I'm patrolling with that-" Paul stopped and glanced at Emily who was watching him carefully. "Why-"

"Good morning to our new graduate!" Sam cried as he joined the group in the kitchen. After giving Emily a quick kiss, he turned to Paul, mischief twinkling in his eyes.

"You paired me up with Leah?" Paul asked. "I thought I was running with Jared today!"

"Yeah, but after he had to stay with you to make sure you didn't phase in your drunken state, I figured he needed a break. Leah was the only one who volunteered to take his place."

"Why?"

Sam shrugged. "She said she had plans later or something."

"I think she's going to see Cody," Seth said as he chewed on his muffin. "I still can't figure out if she imprinted on him or the other way around. But Cody isn't one of us, so I'm sure that means that-"

"Can't I switch with someone?" Paul asked. "I could use a break, too."

"It's not our fault you decided to get drunk last night!" Jared told him. Paul groaned for the third time in a span of ten minutes.

Emily walked over and placed a tall glass of water in front of him.

"Drink up!"

Paul picked up the glass and started chugging it down. As he set the glass down, he noticed the muffin that Emily placed in front of him. Getting ready to decline, Emily spoke up, "Eat it!"

He mumbled an, "Okay," before taking off a chunk and popping it in his mouth.

"What are you guys wearing for Sunday?" Quil said, turning to Jacob and Embry. "Do we have to dress up? I'm screwed if we do! I don't dress like the Cullens."

"I'm sure you don't have to dress to the nines," Emily said. "Sam has a few nice dress shirts if you need to borrow a couple."

"You're really going to a party at those leeches' house?" Jared asked.

"Can I come?" Seth asked.

"Wait, you're going to a party at those leeches' houses?" Paul asked.

"That's what I literally just asked!"

"Yeah," Jacob said, giving Paul a look. "Bella's my friend and she invited me and extended the invitation to Embry and Quil."

"And Kourtney!" Seth added. Jacob shook his head before turning his attention to Paul. Everyone in the kitchen remained silent as they watch Paul digest the information.

"What did you say?" Paul finally asked.

"Uh," Seth looked to Jacob for help.

"Bella also invited Koutney," Jacob finally explained. "She-

Paul immediately stood up, his hands slamming on the table.

"Paul," Sam said in a warning tone. Jared jumped off of the counter as Jacob stood up as well.

"Hell no, she's not going!" he cried as he made his way out the door.

"Paul!" Sam shouted.

"I'll go follow him," Jared said as he took off after Paul. Once he got into the forest, Jared phased.

' _Where's Paul? He's fucking late again.'_

' _He didn't phase?'_ Jared replayed the scene in the kitchen.

' _Great, more fucking drama. Tell him to hurry his ass up! I'm not patrolling the whole res on my own!'_

Jared continued to run towards Kourtney's house. He slowed down as he approached the edge of the forest. He could see Paul running up to Kourtney's front door. He heard the three loud pounds on the door.

"Paul!" Kourtney cried as she opened the door and saw her boyfriend, huffing and puffing. "I thought you had-"

"You are not going!" Paul immediately said as he stormed into her house.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kourtney asked as she closed the door. She turned around. Paul still had his back to her and she could see him slowly moving his head. "No one's home if that's what you're trying to listen for. What's wrong, baby?"

Paul turned around to face her.

"You are not going to that lee-, uh, to Bella's graduation party!"

"Excuse me?" Kourtney said, crossing her arms.

"You're not going," Paul repeated.

"Because?"

"I said so."

That reply received an, "Oh?" coupled with a cocked eyebrow from Kourtney. It was a sign that Paul touched a nerve, but he didn't care; he held his ground.

Kourtney finally sighed. She got close to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Paul, I know you have a problem with Bella, but I like her. She's nice."

"She's stringing Jake along!" Paul cried, pulling away from her. Being that he couldn't tell her the real reason he didn't want her at the Cullens, Paul was grasping at an excuse for Kourtney to not go. "She knows Jacob is in love with her and she still sticks with that boyfriend of hers."

"Jacob just has a little crush on her," Kourtney said with a laugh. "He _thinks_ he's in love with her. And Edward is really nice too."

"Ed- you've met him?" Paul shouted. The thought of a leech being close to Kourtney just didn't well with him. He didn't care if they were 'vegetarian vampires'; he still didn't trust them.

"Paul, stop yelling!" Kourtney noticed how Paul suddenly started to take deep breaths. She slowly placed a hand on his arm and softened her voice. "Yes, I met him briefly when I went to get my hair done for graduation. He was nice and polite-"

"And good looking right?" Paul asked. He knew it would be a yes. He was well aware that the Cullens were known as the most attractive family in all of Forks.

Kourtney gave him a look and then slowly smiled. "Are you jealous?" she teased.

Paul felt the vibrations start. It didn't go unnoticed the Kourtney.

"Baby, are you okay?" Paul knew he needed to get out of there. "Paul, I was joking!"

Paul shook his head as the vibrations grew stronger. He saw Kourtney make a move towards him, but he backed away and moved around her.

"I gotta go!" he cried.

"Paul, I'm sorry! I was joking! I don't care about hi-"

"You're not going!" Paul yelled again. "It's settled!"

Kourtney's apologetic demeanor quickly disappeared. She gave Paul a look.

"It is not settled!" she yelled back. Paul groaned in frustration and turned to leave. "Don't leave! We're not done talking about this!"

Paul ignored her and flew out the front door. Kourtney ran out to the patio and watched as Paul headed into the forest.

"It. Is. Not. Settled!"

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

' _Why does she have to be so God damn stubborn?_ ' Paul huffed as he ran away from Kourtney's house.

' _So what happened?'_ came Quil's voice. It didn't take long for Paul to realize that everyone else had phased in.

' _I told her she wasn't going.'_

' _How'd that end up for you?'_ Leah asked smugly.

' _How do you think? He's out here phased and complaining about how stubborn she is,'_ Seth piped in.

' _It was rhetorical Seth!'_

' _Face it, bro. She's going whether you like it or not,'_ Jared told him.

' _I'm gonna change her mind.'_

' _I bet you, you won't,'_ Jared were heard throughout the pack.

' _I'm with Jared,'_ Embry said.

Paul growled, giving the rest of the members a glimpse of fear that Jared was right.

' _No! I'm going to make sure she doesn't go!'_

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Kourtney was ready to head to her room to get ready for bed when someone knocked on the front door. She showed no surprise when she saw Paul standing out on the porch. He gave her a small smile. She crossed her arms in return.

"Kourt," Paul began when he received no other greeting. "I'm sorry, babe. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

He stopped, waiting for anything from Kourtney.

She only continued to look at him.

"Uh," Paul cleared his throat, trying to see if he missed anything else.

"You forgot the part about how you demanded I not go, like I didn't have a choice in the matter," she finally said.

"I'm sorry about that," Paul said quickly. "I know you get along with Bella, but…"

"You don't. Which is why I wasn't going to force you to go with me," Kourtney explained.

"I'm gonna be honest, Kourt," Paul said. "I really don't want you going. If you do decide to go, then that's your choice; I know I can't stop you. But I'm not gonna lie and say that I won't be upset or even mad about it."

"You're gonna be mad at me for going to that party?" Kourtney asked. Paul nodded. "Why? Is it because of Bella or because of Edward?"

Paul's eyes darkened at the mention of Edward. Kourtney recognized that it was the same look he had earlier. She quickly stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"Paul, I don't like Edward!"

"Neither do I," he told her, trying to steady his voice. Kourtney sighed.

"Why?" Kourtney cried. "There has to be a reason! I kind of understand why you dislike Bella, but Edward?"

"Look, the best explanation I have is that he and I just don't get along. Never have, never will."

"I didn't even know you knew him, let alone talked to him."

Paul shrugged. "I've, uh, bumped into him a few times. All those times didn't exactly lead us to be the best of friends."

Kourtney sighed again. Feeling himself calm down, he slowly pulled her closer to him. Once she was close, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry," Paul murmured. He buried his face in her neck. Kourtney eventually wrapped her arms around him.

"It's okay," Kourtney said. Paul pulled away and placed his lips on hers. He soon deepened the kiss and Kourtney reciprocated his intensity. Paul jumped back as a howl cut through the air. It sounded close by.

"Damn it, Jared," Paul mumbled. Kourtney straightened herself out. She felt her cheeks redden. The sound of a vehicle approaching caught the couple's attention.

"I guess he was just warning us," Kourtney said as she watched Cody pull up the driveway.

"Ever heard of a shirt?" her brother called out as he got out of the car. Paul immediately crossed his arms across his chest. Kourtney tried not to notice how this move made his arms bulge out more.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" Cody asked as he stopped between the two.

"We were just talking about something," Kourtney told him. She gave him a look. Cody continued to stay where he was.

"I'll call you," Paul finally told her. She gave him a smile and a wave as he made his way to his car.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

Paul pulled up to Emily's house feeling pretty good about himself. He was able to change Kourtney's mind about going to the leech lover's graduation party that was being held at the leech's house.

"I'm guessing you were successful?" Emily asked as Paul walked in the house.

"Yup!" Paul cried just as Jared barged in behind him yelling "Nope!"

Paul whipped around and Jared smirked at him.

"Kourtney's still going," Jared said.

"What?" Paul asked. "How do you know?"

"Because I heard everything…and then some."

"What-" Sam began, but was shushed by Emily.

"Dude, I apologized!" The room got quiet.

"And then what?" Emily finally asked.

"She forgave me!"

"O…kay. And some time in your conversation Kourtney said the words, 'Okay, Paul, I will not go to Bella' graduation party'?"

Paul got quiet.

"I mean…I told her I'd get mad at her if she went."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"She's still going, bro," Jared laughed. He clapped Paul on his shoulder and made his way towards the kitchen.

"No, she isn't!" Paul cried for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

The following day, Paul was back at Emily's after a night of patrolling again. He kept an ear out for his girlfriend. He had a plan in pace to keep her from going to the graduation party.

Paul groaned when he heard a few of the pack members approaching. He was hoping to get to talk to Kourtney without them trying to mess him up.

"So, how-"

"Shut up, Jared!"

"I'm guessing you still haven't changed her mind?"

Paul remained quiet. He wasn't going to say a word. A car door slammed and Paul shot out of his seat. He ran to the front and was able to intercept Kourtney before she got inside.

"Ow!" Kim cried. Paul didn't realize that Kim was with Kourtney.

"Sorry, Kim," Paul said quickly. "Uh, Jared's inside. I just need to talk to Kourt."

Kim nodded and left the two alone.

"Where's the fire?" Kourt joked.

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out with me and my dad tomorrow?"

"Out? You mean, out to fish?"

"Yeah, you promised my dad you'd give it another try. The weather is better. The fish are out and biting."

"Well, what time did you have in mind?" Kourtney asked.

"Maybe after breakfast?" Before lunch maybe even?"

Kourtney was thinking it over. Paul held his breath.

"Can we do it maybe next weekend?" Kourtney asked.

"I mean, tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty good day."

"Yeah, I get that babe, but I don't want to smell like ocean and sun and fish before Bella's party."

"TOLD YOU!" Jared screamed from inside.

"What-"

"You're still going?" Paul asked, sounding annoyed.

"I told you I was going to."

"And I told you that you weren't."

Kourtney sighed.

"We are not fighting over something as stupid as me going to a party that I was invited to!"

"Baby, you can go to any damn party you want. I don't care. But-"

"It's just Bella that you have a problem with?"

"Exactly!"

"Paul!" Kourtney cried, exasperated. "I am going to Bella's graduation party. She was nice enough to invite me."

Kourtney paused as she heard footsteps approaching. It was the three musketeers.

"Jacob, Embry, and Quil are going!" she cried, pointing at them. "Why aren't you jumping down their throats?"

By this point, Paul was starting to feel the tremors again. If only he could just tell her that he didn't want her walking into a house full of leeches.

"Uh oh," Quil said.

Paul glared at the three.

"Run it off, Paul," Jacob told him.

"Who do you thi-"

" _Run it off, Paul!_ " Jacob said again. He passed by the third in command and whispered, "I'll try and convince Kourt not to go, alright?"

Without waiting for his reply, Jacob put an arm around Kourtney and led her inside.

"What is his problem with Edward?" Kourtney asked. Jacob only chuckled.

"He's not the only one who has a problem with Edward," Jacob told her as he led her to the kitchen.

"I know what your problem is, but what's Paul's?"

They both took a seat at the table. Kourtney looked at him, waiting for an answer.

Jacob sighed and drummed his fingers on the table.

"He just doesn't like the dude," Embry said as he entered with Quil.

Kourtney rolled her eyes.

"But why?"

"Haven't you ever disliked someone because you just do? Like just seeing them or knowing they exist makes your blood boil?"

Kourtney cocked an eyebrow at Embry.

"He got into a fight with Edward's brother before, so his dislike actually extends towards the whole Cullen clan," Quil said.

"Wait, what?" Kourtney cried.

"Yeah, what?" Embry asked, giving Quil a look.

"Uh, yeah," Jacob said, clearing his throat. "All we really know is that things got heated between Paul and Edward's brother Emmett. Rosalie, Emmett's girlfriend and Edward's adoptive sister got involved and, yeah. Just bad blood all around."

Kourtney sighed.

"Fine," she groaned. "I won't go." She stood up. "Tell Paul that I went home."

Jacob, Embry, and Quil looked at one another before watching Kourtney leave.

"She doesn't sound too happy," Quil stated.

.-~*~-.-~*~-. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Hey," Paul said as Kourtney made her way out of her house.

"Hi," she replied. She sat on the first step and Paul followed suit.

"You left."

"Yeah, I was just getting tired."

"Look babe, I'm sorry-"

"It's okay," Kourtney said, finally turning to look at him. "I'm not going, okay? So let's just move on."

As happy as Paul was, he felt guilty. The feeling was eating away at him and he knew it had to do with the bond. Kourtney wasn't happy therefore it was affecting him. He groaned.

"What?"

He gave a frustrated sigh.

"What, Paul?"

"Go to the party, babe," Paul said, sounding defeated.

"No, it's-"

"Go, babe. I'm being selfish and unfair," he told her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

"A-are you sure?" she asked uncertainly. She felt Paul nod. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave him a tight hug. "If it makes you feel better, I can take Kevin with me."

"You not going will make me feel better," Paul muttered.

"Paul!" Kourtney whined. "Do you want me to go or not?"

"Yes, go!" Paul finally answered. "Take your cousin with you. The three musketeers are already going to be there, but the more that can keep an eye on you the better."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Paul said. "Let's just move on from this, like you said, before I change my mind."

* * *

 **AN:** Just a quick update for you readers! It's been a long time since an update and I apologize. I was having a hard time writing this chapter, so I decided to split it so I can at least give you a chapter, even if it is short! I'm hoping to have another chapter up soon! Thank you for sticking with me even though I suck at updating lately! Comments are always helpful! It gives me motivation and helps with writer's block! Thank you, readers!


	38. Chapter 38

"Can't believe you're making me go," Jared exclaimed as he threw a rock at a tree.

"I'm not making you go. Sam is," Paul replied coolly.

"Only because your dumbass didn't want Kourtney to go."

"Would you let Kim go?"

"Fortunately, I don't have that problem," Jared said. He straightened out his button up shirt as they approached the Cullens' house. "I better not smell like leech later."

"Shut up." The two climbed up the steps and rang the doorbell. The front door opened slowly before revealing Rosalie. A scowl appeared on her beautiful face.

"Great," she said in an annoyed tone. "More dogs to stink up the house."

"Rosalie!" The matriarch of the Cullen family appeared. Soon, her husband appeared beside her.

"I apologize for Rosalie's comment," Carlisle said. Paul and Jared only nodded. "Come on in!"

The two entered the house. They stopped as they noticed all the stares they got. A few girls sent smiles their way.

"They're over there," Jared said, nudging Paul towards the back corner of the living room. Paul quickly noticed the three other tall Quileute teens. They towered over his petite girlfriend and her cousin.

"Paul!" Kourtney exclaimed in surprise.

"Whoa, you're actually here….like inside," Quil said.

"What's up, Paul?" Kevin asked, high fiving him.

"What are you doing here?" Kourtney asked going over to give him a hug.

"I'm sorry," he only murmured. Kourtney gave him a peck on the cheek as a response.

"Where's the food?" Jared asked. "Might as well enjoy while I'm here."

"Why are you here, Jared?" Embry asked. "Were you even invited?"

"Sam said-" Jared was interrupted by Paul's nudging.

"Go get your food."

Jared gave him a light shove.

"Remember who's second in command!" Jared told him, before socking Paul's arm.

"Okay, guys, enough! Don't draw even more attention!" Kourtney cried. "I swear these girls act like they've never seen a Quileute before."

"Aww, is Kourty jealous again?" Jared teased. Kourtney tried her best to punch him on the arm. Jared only laughed and patted her had. "So cute."

"Get your damn food," Paul told Jared. The second in command strutted towards the kitchen and Kourtney started to follow.

"Where you going?" Paul asked, reaching for her hand. He quickly intertwined his fingers with hers.

"To get some food." Paul nodded and started to walk with her.

By the time the couple got to the kitchen, Jared already had a plate full of food.

"Save some for the other guests," a voice said. Kourtney looked up and saw a guy with broad shoulders. Kourtney immediately assumed that he was Emmett since she had already met Jasper. Although she heard they were all adopted, Emmet held the same complexion and bright eyes as his adoptive siblings and parents. Kourtney snapped out of the engrossed state she was in to finally notice the sudden tension. It was then that she remembered that Emmett was one of the reasons why Paul disliked the Cullens. She placed a hand on Paul's arm, hoping that it would alleviate the tension. Paul somewhat relaxed under her touch.

"Well, just think of it like this," Jared said as he continued to put food onto his plate. "I'll take the share that you won't be eating."

Emmett smirked then gave a booming chuckle. His eyes glanced over at Kourtney and Paul instinctively brought her closer to him, his arms snaking around her waist.

"You must be Kourtney," Emmett said. Kourtney nodded in response. He gave a laugh. "Paul, did you tell your girlfriend that I won't bite."

A growl escaped from Paul's throat. Jared quickly dropped his plate, spilling its contents on the floor.

"Jared!" Kourtney cried.

"Paul, let's go!" Jared shouted, ignoring Kourtney. He tugged on Paul who already dropped his hold on Kourtney.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked.

"I need to get him out of here."

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Paul shouted, shoving Jared off.

"Emmett!" Carlisle's voice cried sternly. Emmet immediately lowered his head in shame.

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to do that," Esme said as she bent down and helped Kourtney pick up Jared's mess.

"I'm sorry about this," Kourtney murmured.

"Don't worry," Esme told her. "These boys have their disagreements, but I'm sure none of them will hurt you."

Kourtney returned a smile.

"Here, let me take that," Esme said, indicating the plate full of food that had fallen to the floor. As Kourtney handed it to her, she felt something cold brush against her hand. Thinking that some of the ranch had spilled on it, she looked at her hand, but saw nothing. She touched her hand which still held a little bit of a cold sensation.

"Kourtney, we should go," Paul said as he helped her to standing. Kourtney let him lead her away without arguing. Her cheeks felt hot as she noticed all the stares. Paul and Jared no doubt caused a commotion, earning them more attention. Kourtney just didn't know if she was embarrassed or upset at the two's behavior.

"Kourtney!" Alice's light voice called as she appeared in front of them. Jasper was by her side. Kourtney started to feel relaxed at the sight of them.

"Stop," Paul muttered, but Kourtney heard.

"Stop what?" she asked.

"Won't you stay a little longer?" Alice asked, reaching for Kourtney's hand. A gasping sound was heard as Kourtney felt Alice's cool hands. It was similar to what she felt earlier. Kourtney wondered if Esme's hand was the source of the coldness she felt only minutes ago. She peered curiously at Kourtney then looked over at Paul.

"Paul!" Jacob cried. "Come on, stay a little longer. We, uh, need to talk about something."

Paul narrowed his eyes at Jacob who only nodded. The older shapeshifter didn't even bother to hide his annoyance.

"Fine," Paul said. He wrapped his arm around Kourtney's shoulder and began to lead her away.

"Why don't you let Kourtney hang with Alice and Jasper for a bit?" Jacob said.

"What-"

"It'll be fun," Alice said as she took Kourtney from Paul.

"Warrior business," Jacob told Paul in a low voice. "With the Cullens."

"Go ahead, babe," Paul said, trying his best to give her a smile. Kourtney saw through it and was ready to question him. "Uh, Jacob and I gotta talk about a few things. You go hang out with Alice."

Kourtney saw Jacob give her a nod. She turned to Alice and smiled before allowing to be whisked away.

"Let's get this over with so I can take Kourtney home," Paul told Jacob as he walked past him. The two met with the other members. Edward and Bella eventually joined them. "What's going on?"

"Have you heard about what's been happening in Seattle?" Edward asked. The Quileute boys all nodded. "Well, we think we know what's happening."

"What?" Paul asked, getting impatient. His eyes kept wandering over to Kourtney who seemed to be enjoying Alice and Jasper's company.

"Someone's created an army of newborn vampires," Edward said in a low voice.

"What?!" The Quileute boys, save for Jacob, exclaimed. This caught the attention of Kourtney who quickly stood up to see what was going on.

"Wait," Alice said, placing a hand on Kourtney's arm. Kourtney once again jumped at the coolness of her touch. The cold sensation made her uncomfortable. It was quite different from the warmth she felt from Paul or the other guys for that matter. With that thought, something seemed to click inside Kourtney's head. She looked at Alice, taking in her complexion and her bright eyes. The Cullens, with no traces of blood relation, all shared the same complexion and bright eyes. Then there was their cold touch. _Cold ones_. A chill ran down Kourtney's spine. She took a step back.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked.

"Uh, um, I, uh," Kourtney stuttered. She looked over at Jasper who seemed to be concentrating on her.

"Kourtney, it's okay," Alice said as she reached for her.

"Sorry, I-I gotta go," Kourtney cried as she whirled around.

. -~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Paul," Edward said, looking concerned. "You might want to go see Kourtney."

"What? Why?" Paul asked confused at first. He looked up just in time to see Kourtney hurrying to his side.

"You ready to go?" Kourtney asked immediately. She eyed Edward and moved closer to her boyfriend. She wrapped both of her arms around his one arm. "I, uh, I think I'm getting a little tired. We-we should go."

"Are you okay?" Paul asked. Kourtney nodded.

"Can we just go, please?" Paul looked up and saw that the others were making their way out to give them privacy.

"Hey, look at me. It's okay, it's just us."

Kourtney looked up and saw that they were now alone in the den. She didn't even notice that everyone else had left.

"Babe…"

"Paul, are the Cullens…" Kourtney whispered. "You know…"

Paul felt conflict rise up. He knew that he couldn't reveal the Cullen's secret but he didn't have the heart to lie to Kourtney. Fortunately, Jacob entered.

"It's okay, Paul. Carlisle and them agreed that you can tell her."

"Tell me what?"

"That the Cullens are vampires," Jacob said. Paul gave him a look and Jacob only shrugged.

"What?" Kourtney asked in a low voice. "What the hell? Why are we here? I can't believe you let me come here!"

"Are you serious?" Paul cried. "I was trying to get you not to come here!"

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because under the treaty, he was not allowed to reveal what we are," Edward said as he entered the room. Jasper and Alice were with him. Kourtney slipped her arm around Paul's again. Her feelings of fear slowly subsided.

"What the hell is he doing to her?" Paul asked, eyeing Jasper who was focusing on Kourtney.

"He's just calming her down," Jacob answered. Paul shot him a look. "I'm just playing peace keeper here."

"What are you talking about?" Kourtney asked. "I don't understand what's going on!"

Alice gave her a smile.

"Jasper here can manipulate people's emotions." Kourtney was speechless. "He's just trying to calm you and your boyfriend down."

"It's proving harder on Paul," Edward said.

"You don't need to be scared of us," Alice told her, giving a smile. "I really do see us becoming good friends."

Kourtney tried her best to smile back. She felt her heart pounding against her chest. Her thoughts instantly went to wondering if they could hear her heart and if it made them want to suck her blood. Edward laughed.

"What the hell is so funny?" Paul asked.

"You weren't kidding when you said she knows nothing about us."

Edward looked at Kourtney and gave her a smile. Kourtney once again marveled at his smile but immediately thought about what Paul would think. Edward chuckled to himself again.

"Stop reading her mind!" Paul said, placing his hands on top of Kourtney's head as if it would help.

"What? H-he can read my mind?"

"Forgive me, it's something that I can't help," Edward told her. "Kourtney, I know that you're scared of us, but like Alice said you have no reason to be. However, we won't take offense to you wanting to leave."

"I-I," Kourtney stuttered. Remembering that he could read her mind, Kourtney thought better of lying. "Yeah, I do want to leave. I'm sorry, I just need to process all this and talk to my boyfriend here."

Kourtney nudged at Paul who knew that she was going to be full of questions.

"If you need to talk, you can always come to me," Alice offered. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be biased answering your questions."

Kourtney gave a smile.

"Yeah, I will." Paul frowned at Kourtney's response.

"Face it, Paul. Your girlfriend will soon be a good friend of ours. I can foresee it."

Kourtney thought over Alice's words and wondered if she saw the future. She saw Edward nod and realized that he must've read her thoughts again.

"Okay, babe, I think we should go now," Kourtney said. "I'm gonna go look for Kevin."

Paul watched as Kourtney headed out the room. He looked over at Jacob who looked amused.

"What Black?"

"Nothing, just trying to imagine you explaining to Kourtney about them."

Paul growled.

"Hey!" Jared called as he entered the room, followed by Quil and Embry. "Are we leaving already?"

"Yeah."

"Everything okay?" Jared asked, noting a slight tension. "What's up with Kourtney?"

"She figured them out."

"Oh, shit!"

"How's she taking it?" Quil asked.

"We're going home, what do you think?"

Jared slowly started to smile.

"What?" Paul asked irritated.

"Nothing, man. It's just funny how Kourtney seems to be handling finding out their secret a lot better than when you first told her about you."

Paul looked to where Jared was looking at and saw Kourtney hugging Alice and then Esme good bye. The rest of the pack laughed. Paul socked Jared.

"You can walk home," Paul told him as he went to urge his girlfriend home.

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"What's wrong with you?" Kourtney asked Paul as she buckled her seatbelt. Prior to dropping off Kevin at her dad's house, Paul suggested that she sit at the passenger's side while Kevin took the middle seat. Now that it was just them two, Paul still seemed to want her to keep her distance.

"Sorry babe, but you smell like death."

"Excuse me?" Kourtney asked, offended.

"Vampires don't really smell all that appealing to us." Kourtney start sniffing her shirt. "You can't smell it, but I sure as hell can."

As if trying to prove his point, Paul rolled his window down some more and stuck his head out to smell the fresh air. He looked over at Kourtney who had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't worry babe, just take a shower tonight and I'm sure you'll smell like yourself again tomorrow."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kourtney asked.

"Can we wait to talk about this? At least until we can get you home and showered and changed and spray you down with a bottle of perfume?"

Kourtney glared at Paul, but she answered with a curt, "Fine."

Paul sighed. It was going to be a long night. After talking with the Cullens and learning more about a possible vampire army threat, they all decided that a meeting was necessary between the shapeshifters and the cold ones. Before that though, Paul had to get Kourtney home. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to push their talk until the next day, so he had to make it a quick talk with her before heading to the meeting.

"Alright, babe, I didn't tell you about them because I couldn't. Like Edward said, the treaty keeps them off our land and it keeps us from exposing them."

"But, I thought you…hunted their kind," Kourtney said, trying to word it carefully. "Why are they an exception?"

"Okay, look," Paul said. "The Cullens consider themselves vegetarians."

"They eat plants?"

Paul laughed. He looked over at Kourtney who had a confused look on her face. It only made him laugh harder.

"Paul!" Kourtney pouted.

"You're so cute, babe," he told her. That earned a smack on the chest. A whiff of vampire filled his nose. "Ugh."

Kourtney unbuckled her seatbelt and move closer to him.

"Babe! Stop! Please go back over there!" Paul cried, pushing her back.

"Then stop messing around and tell me about the Cullens!"

"They drink animal blood rather than…human blood." He glanced over at Kourtney who looked a bit pale. He reached over for her hand. "As long as they…don't harm or turn any one, then we can't touch them."

Kourtney let out a breath and began to open her window. Paul continued to hold her hand. He let her have as much time as needed to digest everything. It only took a couple of minutes until she spoke again.

"So, they're good vampires?" Paul rolled his eyes. Out of all the questions…

"I mean, I guess," Paul said. "But that doesn't mean you can be BFFs with them."

"Why not?" Paul rubbed his face. He didn't like how normal she was acting now.

"Babe-"

"They won't suck my blood right? They prefer animals, right?"

"They're still vampires! Plus, if you be friends with them and go hang out with them, then you'll smell like them and as much as I love you, I am not kissing you while you reek of vampires!"

Kourtney raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Really?"

"Okay, no. But you'll make kissing you really unpleasant."

Kourtney laughed.

"Babe, the point is, they're still vampires, okay? There's still a chance that they'd get tempted to…do something to you."

"Okay, but Jake-"

"Is a shapeshifter. He can fight back. Seriously, Kourt, you're just arguing just to argue with me. It's not like you were planning on becoming friends with them in the first place. Bella was the one who invited you. I'd rather you be friends with her than any of the Cullens."

"I know," Kourtney said. "But I mean, that is one good looking family."

Paul glared at her.

"I'm kidding. But now that you mention Bella. I guess I'm starting to get why you guys act kinda iffy around her. What's her story and how the hell did she get involved with Edward?"

"Babe, it's a long ass story," Paul told her as he pulled up to her house. "It's really not your business. It's not _our_ business. Don't worry about Bella or the Cullens okay?"

Knowing that she'd be ready to protest, Paul held his breath and leaned in to give her a kiss.

"One more ques-"

"I gotta go," he told her, reaching around her to open her door.

"Okay, but-" Paul leaned in once again and kissed. He deepened the kiss until he felt her reciprocate his intensity. He pulled away, a look of disappointment flashing on Kourtney's face. He smirked.

"You're a jerk," she told him.

"I gotta go," he told her again. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Kourtney leaned in for one more kiss before hopping out of his truck. Paul watched as she made her way to her house. She gave a wave before disappearing inside. Paul turned his truck onto the road and headed to his house. After parking his car, he took off his shirt and began to run towards the woods.

.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.-~*~-.

"Are we really going to help them?" Leah asked with her usual scowl on her face.

"We need to! They're talking about an army of vampires!" Jared cried.

"That are going after them! Because of Bella!"

"As long as Bella is involved and in trouble, I'm helping," Jacob said. He looked at Sam who had yet to finalize a decision.

"I'm in," Paul suddenly said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Everyone was sure that he would be the last one to agree with helping Bella or the Cullens.

"An army of newborn vampires is headed this way. Sure, they're not targeting us, but the fact that they're going to be near our home…" Paul shook his head. "I don't want to risk the chance of having a newborn find its way into our res, near our people, near our loved ones."

The rest of the pack immediately thought of their own loved ones that they wanted to protect.

"I'm with Lahote," Jared said. Quil and Embry eventually voiced their agreement. Seth looked from his sister to the rest of the pack.

"Leah, think about mom," he said. He looked away when he saw Leah's disappointed expression.

"I guess it's settled then," Sam said. Turning to Jacob, he continued, "Jacob let the Cullens know that we are willing to fight alongside them."

Leah groaned. Sam sighed then faced the sole girl of the pack.

"Leah, you will be fighting with us."

Leah narrowed her eyes at him. She crossed her arms, ready to say something smart, but he held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it," Sam said sternly. "You're part of our pack and you will do your duty and help protect our people!"

* * *

 **AN:** Updated again! Yayyy me! =) I hope you readers enjoyed! Comments are very much appreciated! I enjoy hearing your feedback and thoughts on this fanfic!

Question: What do you think of Paul and Kourtney as a couple? What do you like about them? What do you dislike about them? Any questions for me?


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